She's My Collar
by KashianXanthe
Summary: Noodle and 2D have a secret that they feel has been kept long enough. They want to figure out a way to tell the others and come up with something rather creative. When Russel and Murdoc hear the lyrics to "She's my Collar" for the first time what will their reaction be? Can 2D and Noodle defend themselves or will their secret affair become just a memory? Rated M.
1. Chapter 1

**She's My Collar**

 _By: KKM_

Disclaimer: I do not own the Gorillaz or any related characters/songs. Gorillaz are © Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett.

* * *

 **Summary:**

 _Noodle and 2D have a secret that they feel has been kept long enough. They want to figure out a way to tell the others and come up with something rather creative. When Russel and Murdoc hear the lyrics to "She's my Collar" for the first time what will their reaction be? Can 2D and Noodle defend themselves or will their secret affair become just a memory?_

* * *

 **Chapter 1: She's My Collar**

"Are you sure this's a good idea, love?" 2D questioned as he worried his lip between his teeth. It was an intriguing habit for someone with a gap like his, but somehow he managed to pull it off. As he wrung his hands nervously and stared at her with that seemingly endless dark gaze, Noodle couldn't help but think he looked a little like a lost puppy. "I-I mean Muds can hit really ha'd an' Russ is… well, _big_!" he exclaimed, using his hands to act out each man's attributes.

Noodle gave him a soft giggle and raised up on her tippy toes so that she could comfortably place her hands on his shoulders to hopefully calm the distressed singer down. "Toochi, it will be _fiiiiine_ ," she assured him with a knowing smile before giving him a peck on the nose. "Sure they'll be pissed at first, but I'm a big girl now and you're _you_. They'll _have_ to accept it."

"Bu' wha' if they don'?" he practically whined, stepping away from her so that he could pace nervously as he tangled his long slender fingers into his wild blue hair. "They'll kill me!" he squeaked, his eyes practically bugging out of his head. "Russ'll string me up by me toes and le' Murdoc sacrifice me ta' Satan!"

Noodle's smile faded until her frown became reminiscent of a very angry feline; her eyes narrowing into slits. "Toochi… are you _ashamed_ of me?" she ground out. Her voice was very low and held an almost hissing snake-like quality. Sensing immediate danger, 2D gasped and immediately pulled her pouting form to his slender body in a vice grip.

" _NO!_ " he shouted louder than necessary due to his over-frazzled nerves. He placed a hand on either side of her cheeks and forced her to look at him as his expression suddenly turned serious. "I could neva' be ashamed of you," he promised, his voice full of conviction. "You're my lil' love," he stole a sweet kiss before looking into her eyes again with a warm, though still rightfully concerned smile. "I love you. I just don' want you ta' get hurt is all," he explained. "They won' see it how we do."

She placed her hands over his and smiled back. "We'll _make_ them see," she said before gently pulling away from him to pull a crumpled sheet of paper from her pocket. "I won't let them take you away from me."

"Wha' if they ask how it happened?" he asked with a small frown. Their story hadn't always been pretty.

"We'll tell them," she said simply as gazed back at him the way a warrior would going into battle. "We'll tell them everything."

Later that day, the mood was chipper when Russel and Murdoc entered the studio closely followed by a smiling Noodle and a somewhat on edge 2D. This was nothing unusual for the others. Their singer had always been a bit off when it came to everyday life so no one thought to question his awkward silence all morning or caught the nervous glances he kept throwing the axe princess.

"Y'all sure you don't wanna give us any of the lyrics?" Russel asked good-naturedly as he adjusted one of the symbols he'd accidentally bumped into when plopping into his seat. He'd read over the sheets of music the night before so he knew that either way would be fine. He was excited to see what his friends had written together. "It was quite the surprise when you gave me these, but I think the beats sound good," he complimented with a twirl of his drum stick.

"Oh, _bullshi'_ ," Murdoc smirked, "Ya' just as curious as I am, ya' fat cunt. Ta' think, these two hidin' music from us right before the album! I outta bap ya' both upside the head."

"Oh, hush!" Noodle laughed, hitting him hard in the stomach as she thrust the sheet music she'd written for his part at him. "I doubt you even looked at it last night," she said with a snort as she went to set up her mic.

"I'll 'ave you know I played through it twice!" he grunted in mock defense before looking at the notes in distaste. "This better not be another one of those fucking love songs Faceache seems to have an attachment to." He muttered.

No one noticed 2D nearly tripping over a wire when he heard the comment.

"You will just have to wait and see, Murdoc-san," she said ominously before looking around to see if everyone was situated. "Everyone ready? Ichi, ni, san!"

And just like that, the room was filled with the enticing melody. 2D slowly felt himself relax as his body and mind became one with the music. He closed his eyes as he felt the pulse of the notes flow through him. His accelerated heart began to beat with the rhythm of the drums as his body swayed in tune with the base. When his mouth opened to relive the story of his love he sounded like a completely different man. A man of passion and focus lost in his memories.

" _This is my persona, secret lover._

 _She's my collar."_

As his story continued to unravel in his clever lyrics, Murdoc and Russel shared a look of confusion and bewilderment. Who was 2D singing about? Where had this all even come from? It was good; there was no denying that. But the way the singer was passionately releasing each word with such raw emotion led them to believe that whoever this secret lover was had really affected the singer in ways they couldn't have known. But as soon as Noodle's lyrics came next their confused faces morphed into deep frowns as they continued to listen.

" _I'm yellow, he was blue…"_

Her eyes were shining with a fiery compassion as she locked eyes with her blue-haired lover, her voice becoming more revved up by the moment as she sang as if only to him.

" _Hey that's how it goes,_

 _I'm still coming back to you!"_

2D's face glistened with prespiration as he took out his thoughts and feelings on the mic. His eyes never left hers as if he'd totally forgotten about the others in the room. Every fear, every ounce of frustration, all his love – _every_ bit of it was aimed directly at the Asian woman in front of him and she was eating up every bit of it as she grinned darkly at him. It was like some sort of strange twisted game that only they understood in that moment.

" _I clear my system, I don't need no other!_

 _This is my persona, secret lover._

 _She's my collar."_

Behind them, they hardly noticed how staccato and stiff sounding the accompaniment had suddenly gotten. Murdoc had been the first one to catch on as his fingers tightened unforgivingly on the neck of his bass nearly cracking the innocent wood with his sharp nails. His face had taken on a rabid sort of snarl and his muscles were tensed as if any moment he'd rocket forward and throttle his old friend. His eyes were nearly glowing red with fury and if anger had ever been represented by fire he'd surely have been engulfed in flames by now.

For Russel, it had taken a little longer to fully grasp the message behind this particular song. But when he did, his rage rivaled the demon's. He'd always looked at Noodle like his daughter and had always felt extremely overprotective of her but this… He'd expected Murdoc to test his patience at some point considering how shameless the man was. He'd prepared the ass beating of a lifetime for that one. But 'D? Sweet, soft spoken 2D? It was just unheard of. His milky white gaze began to glow with uncontrollable rage.

Then the words he'd been dreading to hear came tumbling from the singer's mouth and all hell broke loose.

" _And I love her._

 _Oh, oh!_

 _She's my collar."_

Noodle let out a startled scream and before 2D could even register that he was being attacked, he was tackled from both sides by the two incredibly furious men. "Russel, Murdoc, no!" she yelled as she lunged forward to try and break them up. But she was suddenly grabbed by Murdoc who was glowering at her in disgust.

"Best stay ou' of this one, love," he sneered, pushing her away roughly and causing her to fall to the ground helplessly. "It's about time we give this blighter wha' he deserves! Save some fer me, Lards!" He was barely acknowledged by the bigger man who was busy turning their frontman's face into a canvas of reds, blacks, and blues.

"DON' YOU _EVER_ TOUCH MY BABY-GURL!" he shouted, annunciating every lunge of his beefy fists. Spit was flying out of his mouth with each syllable. 2D could barely open his eyes let alone utter a word edgewise. His face was covered in blood and it was a wonder the frail man hadn't passed out yet.

Noodle looked up in horror, her tear stained gaze locking with 2D's a moment before he was knocked back out of focus again by the enraged drummer. Beside her, Murdoc began to step forward to join the fray when she suddenly launched herself up to her feet again with a cry of rage. _"I SAID NO!"_ she screamed, grabbing Mudoc from behind and kicking him hard in the groin to disable him.

 _"THA' FUCK!?"_ he seethed, clenching his eyes closed as he fell to his knees gripping his crotch in agony. "We're doin' this fer you, ya' crazy lil' shit!"

But Noodle paid him no heed as she threw herself at her next target so that she landed hard against Russel's back. The bigger man barely flinched and she nearly bounced off had she not gripped her arms tightly around his neck. "Russel! Listen to me, damn it! It's _not_ like that!" she tried to reason with him.

"You're only 26, Noodle!" he argued back with her as he gripped her arms tightly trying to shake her off of him. 2D used the distraction to slump away from the mammoth of a man with a pained groan. His head was aching so bad that he gave up on crawling and opted to spit up some blood near him on the floor with an almost silent whimper. "That motherfucker's 38! That's _twelve_ years, Noods. I'm not lettin' that little cracka' anywhere near _my_ little girl," he told her as he tried to detach her from his back without accidentally hurting her.

"You, absolute _baka_! _I_ seduced _him_ not the other way around!" she finally shouted.

The whole room suddenly became silent except for three sets of heavy breathing and a sniffling sound from 2-D who was still trying to wipe the blood from his gushing nose.

"Didn't you listen to _a word_ of that song?" she growled, shooting both of the older men accusatory glances before she walked over and leaned down to 2D gently taking his swollen face into her hands. "He didn't want any of it at first. He _actively_ turned me down _several_ times." She said in a quiet voice as she assessed the damage. " _Think_ about it."

"You expect us to believe that shit?" Russel growled, looking down on them in disapproval. But even as he said it, he couldn't help but feel that maybe this made a little more sense.

2D was not a very bright man and the last few knocks to his head had taken away much of his rationalization skills. But he was _not_ as foolish as others believed him to be. He was normally slow on the uptake and had to really ponder things out so much to the point that the world seemed to move around him as he stayed in one place to think. If someone wasn't around him for more than a few days, he was liable to start forgetting things. He had never actively pursued anything before but was always led by others. Russel had never seen the younger man harm a fly, let alone attack a girl against her own will.

Russel's eyes softened only a fraction, but they were still riddled with disapproval. "How did this happen?" he demanded in an authoritative voice like a father scolding his child. Murdoc gave him a look of disbelief.

"Surely, yer no' letting tha' tosser off?" he furrowed his brows and crossed his arms in annoyance. This was the only time he could remember where Russel had let him beat the little blue bird to his heart's content without repercussions. His fun was being cut short.

"Shut up, ol' man," the drummer cut him off sharply. "I wanna get to the bottom of this shit before I decide if 'D needs to go back inna coma or not."

Normally Murdoc would have taken offense to being talked to like that, but he was curious. What could the girl possibly have done to get that wanker to have a relationship with her behind their back? "Whatever," he muttered, pulling a cigarette from his pocket and lighting up to calm his anger. He wanted to hear this one.

Noodle let out a sigh of relief now that the room was a tad less hostile and gently tried to help her lover to his feet. "Let me clean him up and I'll tell you both everything," she frowned, rubbing his shoulders a bit as she guided him toward the door. "But you two are to leave him alone. He needs his rest."

"Fine, but we want tha' whole thing," Murdoc interjected, flicking some ashes in her direction before taking another long drag. The cherry turned bright red before he released and let the smoke unfurl slowly making him appear more like a dragon as if to intimidate her. It didn't work in the slightest. She was too used to his tactics by this point.

"Deal," she said simply after they'd struggled to get the door open. She wasn't surprised that they were refusing to help in the slightest. "I'll be right back. Come on, Toochi, let's get you all cleaned up."

They watched them leave the room in stiff silence. In their minds rang the same message - this had better be good.

* * *

 **A/N:** Hiiiiiii! So what do you guys think about the new CD? I fricken loooove it. It made me feel like my mind was going through a distorted adventure. I really loved track#8 the best for some reason. It was very catchy. Momentz is great too. After hearing "She's My Collar" I couldn't help but to write this. It was too perfect to let slide. I don't want this story to be too easy though. Their road to happiness will not be an easy one. I intend to keep the bitterness of the lyrics in mind when I write certain future chapters.

Let me know what you think!


	2. Chapter 2

**She's My Collar**

 _By: KKM_

Disclaimer: I do not own the Gorillaz or any related characters/songs. Gorillaz are © Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett.

* * *

 **Last Time:**

 _Noodle let out a sigh of relief now that the room was a tad less hostile and gently tried to help her lover to his feet. "Let me clean him up and I'll tell you both everything," she frowned, rubbing his shoulders a bit as she guided him toward the door. "But you two are to leave him alone. He needs his rest."_

 _"Fine, but we want tha' whole thing," Murdoc interjected, flicking some ashes in her direction before taking another long drag. The cherry turned bright red before he released and let the smoke unfurl slowly making him appear more like a dragon as if to intimidate her. It didn't work in the slightest. She was too used to his tactics by this point._

 _"Deal," she said simply after they'd struggled to get the door open. She wasn't surprised that they were refusing to help in the slightest. "I'll be right back. Come on, Toochi, let's get you all cleaned up."_

 _They watched them leave the room in stiff silence. In their minds rang the same message - this had better be good._

* * *

 **Chapter 2: Busted and Blue**

2D let out a pained groan and winced as the damp cloth made contact with his swollen face. Still, he made no movement to make her stop as he took deep breathes and tried to stay still. It was a miracle that he was even conscious right now. One wrong move and who knew what would happen to him. Noodle had brought him to her room after the fight in hopes that the extra pillows she had on her bed might make him feel more comfortable. While he was sure that it was at least a little more comfortable than his own messy room, he highly doubted that pillows were going to help him at this point.

Noodle frowned as the once white wash cloth became stained with pink. As she washed the crimson from his normally pale face she was able to see just how severe the damage was. Both of his usually already bruised sockets were ringed with a nasty shade of red that seemed to fade into yellow around the edges. If he wasn't careful, it would probably become infected. Considering how bad his eye sight already was, she knew she'd need to help him make sure he cleaned it up properly. Then there were his cheeks which were fast becoming purple and littered with small cuts and scrapes from Russel's numerous gold rings.

She gently touched one of her guitar string calloused fingers to his busted lip and he let out a hiss, jerking away before giving a pained whine as he raised his hands to his throbbing temples. The fast movement had done nothing for his horrible headache. Noodle let out a sigh and tossed the rag away in defeat as she hung her head in shame. "I'm sorry," she muttered, looking anywhere but at him. "You said it wasn't a good time and I should have listened to you. _Again_."

The admission was barely audible, but the singer heard it all the same. He struggled to open his eyes again and then let out a little hum as he reached out to take her hand in his. It tugged on his heart strings to see her so affected on his behalf. "'S Alright," he slurred a bit, bringing her hand back toward him and ignoring the pain in his fat lip as he tried to gently kiss it. "You didn' know, love."

"But I _did!_ " she gasped as she took her hand away from him and jumped up to pace. Watching this caused another wave of nausea and he opted to close his eyes again hoping it would pass. "If I'd listened to what you said, you wouldn't be in this state! Maybe if we'd waited and planned it out a little better… but surprising them? I knew they were hot-headed. What was I thinking!?"

He stayed silent a moment after she said this. He honestly had no idea what she'd expected. This had went pretty much exactly how he'd thought it would. Hell, if it was the other way around and one of the others had presented this to him the way they just had with no preparation at all he _knew_ he'd have acted the same way. As sweet as people saw him sometimes, he just like the others had always been very protective of her. He wasn't above protecting her dignity at the cost of a scuffle. It was days like this he wished he'd been strong enough to resist her in the beginning. But at the same time he knew in his heart that with her was where he belonged and he loved her too dearly to ever let her go willingly.

Finally after a few moments of silence, he realized he'd drifted off in his thoughts and was vaguely aware that he could hear sniffles at the other side of the room where she was now plopped down on the floor hugging a stuffed panda to her chest as if it was the last thing on the planet. "'S betta' this way," he tried with a sniffle, hoping that another nose bleed wasn't about to come on. "We won' have teh sneak aroun' anymore." A ghost of a smile passed over his features about that. He never really enjoyed that part of their charade. "We'll finally be able teh jus' be us, love."

She peeked over the teddy bear at him with watery eyes and tossed it aside as she crawled back over to the bed. He let out a groan as he forced himself to move back a bit and gestured for her to join him. She carefully did and burrowed against his chest as he wrapped his long spidery arms around her in a comforting embrace. "Stu, it won't be that easy and you know it," she mumbled against him as she tried to relax and enveloped herself into his unique butterscotch scent.

"And maybe it will," he said simply. When she looked up at him incredulously, he chuckled and squeezed her a little tighter. "Haven't killed me yet or barged in, 'ave they?" he pointed out lightly. "Ol' Muds wouldn't 'ave hesitated if he'd really wanted to do me in an' Russ woulda' ripped me a new one for sure! Tha's half the battle innit?"

"I supooooose," she said thoughtfully, wiping her drying cheeks against his messy shirt. "It still won't be easy, though."

"With those two it neva' is," he agreed, resting his cheek against her hair thoughtfully. His hand seemed to automatically run through her silky locks, toying with the individual strands at the end before running through again. "I've 'ad worse though. We'll get through it; we always do." He said with finality. Now that they had opened this can of worms, there was no going back. It was either sink or swim from here on out.

"So, you're not mad?" she said in disbelief as she looked up at him. They'd been through so much of a rollercoaster already through the years, she found this a little hard to believe.

"I'll get over it," he assured her. "But next time, do your poor ol' Stu a fava' and listen, yeah? I don't need anymo' dents than I already gots."

She gave a snort of mirth and gently extracted herself from his warm embrace to sit up. "Maybe," she said honestly. She'd never been that great at holding herself back. No matter how high her IQ was, she'd always been fast to act without thinking of the full consequences of her actions.

"Fine, but at leas' do one thing," he said with a sigh as he readjusted himself against her pillows again. "Tell the truth. _All of it_. They deserve tha' much. We been lying to 'em a long time, love. If we wan' this teh work, they gotta' know."

"I know," she agreed, though he could tell by the tone of her voice that she wasn't exactly ecstatic about it. This might put them in a bad light at times and she was well aware that they'd both played dirty here. "I'll take care of it, Toochi," she promised, watching as he winced again and squeezed his eyes closed. She pursed her lips and took a bottle of pills from her night stand and offered him a glass of water she usually used for during the nights. He gratefully allowed her to place them in his mouth and took a small sip of water before letting out a shaky sigh. "I'll be back soon, get some rest." She demanded before standing to leave.

"Fanks, love," he replied in barely a whisper as he waited for the pills to take effect. He heard her give a hum of acknowledgement before the door quietly clicked behind her. Frowning, he tried to force his mind to relax. He wished she didn't have to do this alone but it was no use. He wasn't in any state to go back down there so instead he allowed himself to drift restlessly into oblivion.

Heading down the stairwell to return to the recording studio, Noodle felt like she heading toward the gallows. She had always been somewhat private about these things and wasn't fond of the idea to share her innermost secrets. She knew they'd both jump her with questions the moment she'd walk in. But this was what she needed to do and she really owed it to her Toochi to clear the waters. She knew he'd harbored an insane amount of guilt from the start. He'd always had a big heart and hated lying to the people that he considered his closest friends and family.

She knew that they would think she'd felt the same. But she hadn't. Noodle had been through a lot in her 26 years and had only let 2D see a small sliver of the inner turmoil it had caused her psyche. Russel and Murdoc had no idea the secrets she harbored from the time she'd been attacked after the _Demon Days_ album to when she'd showed up as their savior on _Plastic Beach_. 2D knew part of the story and even that she was sure gave the singer nightmares at times. Telling their story required that she remembered how she'd felt back then when they'd all been reunited and it hadn't been all that pleasant.

And the rest… she felt exposed. _Naked_ even.

Before she knew it, she'd reached the studio door and was turning the handle. As expected, her two bandmates were waiting for her with expectant looks on their faces. By this time, Russ had sat down in a chair he'd pulled up at their music writing desk in the front corner of the room. He was sitting with his arms crossed and a look of deep contemplation on his features as if his mind had not stopped moving since she had left the room. Muds was standing a little ways back with a hand on his hip and an air of impatience. Sighing, she closed the door behind her and forced herself to move forward until she was standing awkwardly in front of them.

"How long?" Russel demanded as he suddenly seemed to come out of his trance. His eyes narrowed as if daring her to lie. She frowned and gave him a look that she hoped was as rebellious as she felt in that moment.

"Which time?" she asked in a slow mischievous voice as she purposely baited him in retaliation. The desired effect was almost immediate.

"What the fuck do you mean _'which time'?_ Damnit, Noodle!" he shouting, standing up abruptly and slamming his fist down against the table in frustration. "I want some fuckin' answers and none of these games an' shit!"

"Now, now Russ," Murdoc purred as he suddenly stepped up and placed himself between them. "We ain't gonna ge' any answers if ya' keep threatin' her li' that," he pointed out, strangely becoming the voice of reason. "An' you girly know betta' than to piss 'im off li' that. Beginnin' ter think yer stallin' for time, you are," when she gave him a surprised look of confirmation he smirked nastily at her and tapped a finger against the top of his head. "Yeh can't fool me, I've been there an' done that, love."

"Kuso, _fine._ " she muttered, looking perturbed that he'd read her so well. She took a deep breath and then sighed before looking at each of them again and frowning. "This was never meant to piss you guys off or anything like that," she said lamely, trying to decide how to move forward with this. Russ relied with an indignant snort causing her to quickly eye him again. He would be the tougher adversary of the two she decided.

"Why don't yeh start from the beginning?" Murdoc supplied helpfully as he pulled up a couple of chairs so they could join Russ at the table. Russ made a move to open his mouth again, but the older man smoothly interrupted him not sparing a single glance in the larger man's direction. "You said you were tha' one who started it," he pointed out, then added under his breath, "No' tha' I'm surprised there."

"The hell's that supposed to mean?" Russ asked grumpily as he glared at the bass player.

"Well innit obvious, fat arse?" Murdoc laughed, "She obviously takes afta' meeee," he trilled in a proud voice. "Search and destroy. Neva' givin' up on what yer want by any means necessary. All tha' jazz," he said airily with a wave of his hand as he leaned back in his seat exuding arrogance. "I'd like to think I taugh' 'er tha'," he smiled lazily.

He was rewarded when Noodle let out a quiet laugh affectively breaking the stagnant persona she'd been putting on. Russel watched her visibly relax in bewilderment before sending an impressed look toward their 'leader.' It seemed Murdoc had simply been trying to rid them of the tension to make it easier on all of them.

"Well, I don't know about that. But I suppose if I am to take anything away from you, it may as well be one of your more charming attributes," she smiled, playing along. They could all tell it hadn't reached her eyes, but weren't complaining. Her smile soon flattened as she realized they needed to get back to business. "I guess the beginning would make the most sense. But it was way before we actually got together," she admitted to them. When they stayed silent she took it as a sign to continue. "I'd had my eyes on Stu since after we'd came back from _Plastic Beach_."

"Since Wobble Street?" Murdoc questioned incredulously. He hadn't expected her infatuation to have begun so early. "But wot the hell could 'ave possibly happened there? We was barely there a yea' an' you was a moody lil' mess at the beginnin'."

"I'd been nearly blown up on your damn set, escaped, went to hell and back, got kidnapped, went through hell getting away from those stupid pirate-friends of yours, and returned to find out I'd been replaced by a fucking cyborg. How would _you_ feel?" she hissed, effectively silencing him. The kidnapped part struck out to him as something new, but he chose not to comment. Once he looked properly admonished, she continued. "Yes, Wobble Street is where I began my plan to seduce Toochi," she nodded thoughtfully.

"It all started when…"

* * *

 **A/N:** Hopefully I can keep going at this nice pace. I've got a storyboard for this all written up so I won't lose track. Lemme know what you think!


	3. Chapter 3

**She's My Collar**

 _By: KKM_

Disclaimer: I do not own the Gorillaz or any related characters/songs. Gorillaz are © Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett.

* * *

 **Last Time:**

"I guess the beginning would make the most sense. But it was way before we actually got together," she admitted to them. When they stayed silent she took it as a sign to continue. "I'd had my eyes on Stu since after we'd came back from _Plastic Beach_."

"Since Wobble Street?" Murdoc questioned incredulously. He hadn't expected her infatuation to have begun so early. "But wot the hell could 'ave possibly happened there? We was barely there a yea' an' you was a moody lil' mess at the beginnin'."

"I'd been nearly blown up on your damn set, escaped, went to hell and back, got kidnapped, went through hell getting away from those stupid pirate-friends of yours, and returned to find out I'd been replaced by a fucking cyborg. How would _you_ feel?" she hissed, effectively silencing him. The kidnapped part struck out to him as something new, but he chose not to comment. Once he looked properly admonished, she continued. "Yes, Wobble Street is where I began my plan to seduce Toochi," she nodded thoughtfully.

"It all started when…"

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Ascension**

Noodle sighed unhappily as she gazed at her reflection in the dirty window of her bedroom in their small home on Wobble Street. She was sitting in a chair next to it with a deep frown on her face. Ever since she had reunited with her boys, she had been finding it harder and harder to be the girl she once was. Russel seemed to think she was still a little girl who needed coddling and extra attention. Every time she turned around, the large drummer was there asking her a million questions about how she was doing or if he could get her anything. He'd even sat down with her at one point trying to get her to talk about where she'd been. In the end, his questions had gotten him nowhere and he'd stood in somewhat of a huff before telling her that if she needed anything he'd always be there for her to talk.

If that wasn't bad enough, Murdoc's reaction to her return had been much more unbearable. At first he'd tried to play it off as if he hadn't cared that she was gone (this was an obvious lie because he'd since then told her that he'd really made Cyborg Noodle because he missed her – he'd been _very_ inebriated at the time). Then he began to suck up to her out of what she could only assume was guilt from not being able to find her for all those horrible years. When she'd walk into a room with him, he'd suddenly change his attitude and either find a way to get out of the room as fast as he could or give her a slightly frightened look while trying to offer her things that used to be her favorites to please her. She supposed that if she'd watched the way she'd savagely torn her cybernetic twin apart, she might've been a bit put off by it too. But it still annoyed her beyond belief.

They just didn't know how to be around her anymore. Not that she could blame them much considering how much had changed in such a short time. But she wished that they would leave her alone and stop treating her so… _delicately_. She was not some sort of china doll that would break or a ticking time-bomb that would suddenly go off at the lightest prod. She was still their Noodle.

Wasn't she?

Maybe not. If she could barely recognize the person staring back at her in the grimy glass, then how could they? Even at just twenty years of age, her face held the stress lines of someone much older; someone who had been through things that no twenty year old should have to deal with. Her skin was a sickly pale color that seemed to glow unnaturally back at her. Even more so when it was in direct contrast with the horrible discoloration around her eye. The purple was slowly fading, but her eye still looked horrible and bloodshot giving her a painful reminder of the time she'd spent in hell before her kidnapping.

Her eyes tore away from her reflection a moment as she heard faint footfalls from down the hall. Frowning, she quickly flicked her long bangs back over her face to cover her eye before staring unseeingly back at the windrow. She hoped that whoever it was would continue past her room because she wasn't really in the mood to deal with more questions. She tensed a little as she heard them behind her continue into her room. It seemed that luck had not been on her side. She turned a little so that she could greet her new company, only giving a sigh of relief when she saw it was only 2D.

"Hey," she said, voice barely above a whisper for some reason. He barely acknowledged her as he walked as if on autopilot further into the room before plopping down cross-legged to join her in gazing listlessly out the window. She observed him a moment as his features stayed blank and his pupiless eyes unmoving. He'd been like this since they'd left _Plastic Beach_ and were able to refill his prescriptions. He would go through his days barely acknowledging the world around him and only speaking when needed. From what she could tell, it was troubling Murdoc and Russel a great deal, but Noodle preferred it to the horrible state he'd been on the island. She _knew_ better. He wasn't trying to ignore them on purpose. The singer was _healing_.

From what she could tell, 2D's needs had not been taken into consideration while he'd been under Murdoc's care without the others. He'd been consumed by grief when he had thought she was dead and hadn't had a chance to heal properly before the older man had whisked him away. Usually either herself or Russ would have made sure that he was eating properly or taking his medicine, but that hadn't been an option. Depression caused him to barely eat unless Muds or Cyborg forced him to. When he was locked in that underwater prison with his worst fear as company he began to have delusions. The worst had apparently occurred when they'd ran out of 2D's medications and Murdoc had refused to go to civilization to get them. The detox combined with his horrible headaches had almost been too much for him.

Noodle knew that 2D wasn't helpless by any means, but without proper care who would have done any better in that situation?

The first thing they'd done for him when they got to Wobble was to get him back on his medications and to get him and Murdoc some therapy (whether they wanted it or not). From what she could tell, Murdoc had stopped going after the first week which was expected. 2D was still going, but his schedule was becoming more irregular with it. Now that he was back on his meds, he seemed to slowly be getting back into the hang of things.

He was really the only one she could stand being in a room with anymore. He never pushed her into talking if she didn't want to. He never bombarded her with questions of where had she been or what had happened. He never treated her like a little girl. He only offered her silent comfort and a hug when she needed it. Some might say that it wasn't much, but she really appreciated it. Even now, no matter how far gone his mind was, she knew he was there to offer his form of comfort when no one else could.

She blinked when she realized that she'd been staring at him for too long. Somewhere between then and now he'd stopped staring blankly at the window and was giving her a questioning glance. She blushed and sniffled a bit as she looked away. Sniffled? Had she been crying again? This was becoming a regular occurrence too since they'd gotten back. When the boys would all be asleep, she'd be awake from her horrifying nightmares crying silently about the past.

"Noodle?" his voice was somewhat raspy from disuse, but she could hear it all the same as she tried in vain to wipe her freefalling tears away.

"I'm sorry," she muttered as she stayed sitting dejectedly in her seat, not looking at him. She was embarrassed that he'd seen her like this. She felt a warm hand over hers and looked back at him again to see those hollow eyes staring deeply into her own. Perhaps he hadn't been as far gone as she'd thought.

"Tell me," he said simply. It was odd how she felt right then. All the times that Russel and Murdoc had tried coaxing the truth from her came rushing to the forefront of her memory. She'd refused each time and yet as 2D asked… no, _told_ her to tell him, she felt no such reservations. She knew that out of all of them, he would be the least likely to judge her for her actions. She swallowed a lump that had formed in her throat and slowly lowered herself from the chair so that she could sit closer to him. He easily guided her so that she was practically in his lap with his long lanky arms surrounding her securely as if protecting her from her demons.

She took a deep shaky breath as she leaned her cheek against his chest and closed her eyes. His scent had always done wonders to relax her. "I-I…" she trailed off as he rested his chin on top of her head and waited for her to calm herself. "I _killed_ someone," the truth tumbled from her lips before she even knew what she was saying. She felt him tense around her for a moment before he seemed to force his muscles to relax again. "I-I didn't really have a c-choice," she whispered, wondering if she was trying to convince him this or herself still. "It took me so long to escape from H-Hell. There were d-demons everywhere laughing. I can still hear them l-laughing," her voice sounded frail and haunted. "They kept telling me I belonged there, but I knew I didn't!" she hissed.

"They were k-keeping me to get back at M-Murdoc. But they were getting lazy," she told them, her voice steadily becoming stronger as she relived it. Her fingers gripped his shirt tightly a she continued. "I was so happy when I finally escaped. I thought I'd finally been freed! But _he_ was there," she practically growled. She couldn't even feel the light fingers that were gliding through her hair trying to calm her. She was too focused on what she was saying. "He was one of those horrible pirates that'd been after Murdoc. I was too weak from finally escaping Hell to fight back and they imprisoned me. It was like going back all over again! And it was fucking Murdoc's fault _again._ Though he couldn't have known…" she trailed off, biting her lip.

"There were too many of them. I knew I couldn't escape by fighting my way to the top of the ship. It just wouldn't have been that easy. So instead I let my training take over me and I devised a plan. I would pretend I was on their side to gain their trust so that I could escape. At first they were suspicious, but what would a young girl be able to do to them? At one of the raids they did, they came back with a bunch of medical equipment and gave me that nurse uniform. Apparently their crew didn't have anyone who knew anything about medicine and they could tell I was smart so they tried to use me for it. I would have started poisoning them then, but I thought I'd get caught," she explained.

"But then one night I was asked to go up and see the captain in his personal quarters," her voice lowered again as if she wasn't looking forward to this part. 2D gave her a small squeeze of courage and she spoke again in somewhat of a monotone voice. "At first I wasn't sure why they'd brought me. There was a rumor going around the ship that Murdoc had holed up on an island somewhere. I thought he wanted to question me about that. I was wrong, he wanted me for something entirely different. In that stupid fucking dress they'd apparently realized I was a bit older than I looked and there weren't any other women on the ship. Before I knew it he tried to lunge at me and I dogged trying to fight him but he was bigger and stronger than I was. He punched me in the eye and kicked me down to the floor. He would have had me too if I hadn't have noticed the gun that was under his bed when I fell. He grabbed my ankle to pull me back to him and I grabbed that gun without a single thought."

The room was silent as the two of them reflected on the story she'd just told him. Noodle sat quietly in his arms trembling. Would he think she was a monster now? It was in self-defense, but she'd killed the man in cold blood. Even after she'd shot him, she hadn't hesitated firing on the crew on her way out before diving into the ocean to escape. Did that make her a bad person? She'd never killed before but somewhere deep in her psyche she knew that was what she was trained to be; a mindless killer. Before she knew what she was doing, she'd begun to sob again clinging to him for dear life hoping against all hope that he would not want to leave her.

To her horror, she felt him lean back as if to get away from her, causing her to gasp in dismay. But when his hands rested on either side of her face instead, she tried to calm down and look up at him. There was no sign of disgust at all on his loving face, but his eyes regarded her with deep concern. "Noodle," he started carefully, "I'm no' gonna think any less of ya' fo' protecting yourself. It sounded li' tha' man woulda' taken mo' than your dignity if yeh hadn't 'ave stopped 'im. Think of wha' he'd have done to tha' next one." His voice was sincere as he spoke to her. She didn't doubt for a minute that he'd listened to each word she'd spoke in great detail. "Don' let tha' man get you down, love. He don't deserve it. Tha' only reason why it's botherin' you so much is 'cause you're too good. You went through somefing terrible an' you're bein' too good giving 'im any mind." He told her, his thoughts seemed jumbled, but she understood what he was saying all the same.

"Really?" She asked, holding his gaze as if it was the only thing in the world keeping her stable right now.

"Really, love," he promised, wiping away her remaining tears. "I know yeh don't wanna hear it but Russ an' even ol' Muds are really trying ta' be there for yeh. I fink they know somefin's wrong, they jus' dunno what. We love you an' dun wanna see ya' hurting so bad."

"I know," she frowned, looking down again. "But I don't want anyone else to know. I don't think I can handle saying it again."

"Then don't," he surprised her by saying. "If you're no' ready, then they dun need ta' know. It's all about wha' makes you feel comfy."

"And when did you become such an expert?" she asked in a teasing manner, the first smile blooming on her face in what seemed like years. When he smiled back at her, it grew wider in response.

"Well, when ya' seen as many therapists as I 'ave ova the years you start remembering these things," he joked, tickling her side gently. She laughed before smacking his arm lightly and extracting herself from his warm embrace to stand.

"Thanks, Toochi," she said genuinely as she helped the tall singer to his feet. Then she surprise him by leaning up to give him a sweet peck on the cheek. "I feel a lot better."

She could have imagined it, but she swore he was blushing as he replied, "yeah, no problem," and left her to be alone with her thoughts.

 _(Present Time.)_

"It was after that day that I started taking more of an interest in him. He'd really helped me mentally with the demons I'd been struggling with for months. Any time I would have a nightmare or relapse back into my depressed state, he'd suddenly be there sitting with me silently or just holding me until it was over. I remember thinking that it was odd that the one person in the house that I'd thought wouldn't have the capacity to understand what I was going through was helping me out the most," she explained with a dreamy look on her face as she seemed to shift through her thoughts, then her pupils seemed to flick back into focus as her gaze shifted to a gob-smacked Murdoc. "He's really a lot smarter than you give him credit for. You just have to give him some time to think first."

"Neva' mind that, girl! Why didn't yeh tell us about tha' fuckin' pirate!?" he shouted, looking pale. It was his turn to be outraged. Beside him Russel looked somewhere between horrified and defeated. His baby girl had been through all of that and hadn't been able to tell him? It was overwhelming the big man to say the least.

" _This_ is exactly why I didn't tell you guys," she gestured between them. "Murdoc, you're feeling guilty so now you'll probably be hell to deal with the next few weeks because you know that if they wouldn't have been looking for you I'd never have been in any of those situations. And I didn't tell you, Russel because I didn't want to disappoint you. I'd just gotten my family back, I didn't want to lose you all over again," she sighed, placing her head in her hands.

"You wouldn't have lost us, baby girl," Russ' gentle voice cut through the chaos as he reached across the table to place his hand on her arm. "We just wanted to understand at the time. You were so violent and moody anytime one of us talked to you. I guess I'm just glad that you opened up to 'D before something really terrible would have happened." Russel had seen depression ruin a lot of good people over his life and he didn't want Noodle to be one of them. "But I still don't understand how that lead to you two bein' together."

By now, Murdoc had calmed down somewhat, but his hands were now shaking a little bit. As tough an act as he put on, he absolutely hated that he was normally the cause of his family's pain. Noodle had always been special to him even though he wasn't the mushy type. She was completely on point when she'd said he'd feel guilty about all of this. In a way though he was glad it hadn't been brought up back then though. He knew his reaction would have been ten times worse. Wounds had still been fresh back then; it would not have been good.

"Well, like I said that was merely when I started to notice him more. I suppose after that, it developed into more of a one-sided crush. We grew much closer because of what we'd shared that day, but I don't think he knew at the time just how much I appreciated him for it. I really didn't get to try and pursue anything until after we were evicted." With that, she sat up straight. It was time to get the rest of it off of her chest.

* * *

 **A/N:** Wow, I'm on a roll! Lol, I was actually in a bad mood today so I channeled it into being a busy body and this chapter came about! I promise the next chapter will be much happier. The next chapter is actually the one I've been looking forward to! Let's just say there will be a cute dance scene involving a record player. tee hee! ~ Also, no more of this crying shit. I don't want people to get the wrong idea about Noodle. She'd a strong fierce woman in this story.


	4. Chapter 4

**She's My Collar**

 _By: KKM_

Disclaimer: I do not own the Gorillaz or any related characters/songs. Gorillaz are © Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett.

* * *

 **Last Time:**

 _By now, Murdoc had calmed down somewhat, but his hands were now shaking a little bit. As tough an act as he put on, he absolutely hated that he was normally the cause of his family's pain. Noodle had always been special to him even though he wasn't the mushy type. She was completely on point when she'd said he'd feel guilty about all of this. In a way though he was glad it hadn't been brought up back then though. He knew his reaction would have been ten times worse. Wounds had still been fresh back then; it would not have been good._

 _"Well, like I said that was merely when I started to notice him more. I suppose after that, it developed into more of a one-sided crush. We grew much closer because of what we'd shared that day, but I don't think he knew at the time just how much I appreciated him for it. I really didn't get to try and pursue anything until after we were evicted." With that, she sat up straight. It was time to get the rest of it off of her chest._

* * *

 **Chapter 4: Saturnz Barz**

"Hm, this will have to do," Noodle sighed critically as she looked over her outfit for a third time in the full-length mirror in the house they'd affectionately dubbed the _'Spirit House'_ shortly after moving in.

The home itself wasn't _really_ haunted as far as she could tell. But shortly after they had moved in, one of the old light fixtures in the entryway had fallen from the ceiling nearly knocking their already brain-scrambled singer out in the process. 2D had been terrified considering the place already gave off an abandoned creepy vibe. The boys had found his reaction hilarious and played along with the gullible man as they successfully had him convinced that he'd somehow offended the old spirits within the house. While eventually the blue haired man caught on to their antics (Behind the scenes Noodle had taken pity on him and forced Russ to come clean and apologize. Murdoc to this day vehemently denies that he did anything wrong.), the name stuck. From that point on, anytime they referred to their new home it was as the _Spirit House_.

Currently, the young guitarist was trying to come up with a plan of action for the day. Over the past year or so, she had come to terms with the fact that she was growing feelings for her best friend. Each moment she spent with him, she felt like her feelings grew that much more obvious. He was always there when she needed him and always seemed to understand her in ways that no one else did. She had done a lot of thinking back and forth about what this could possibly mean both for her and for the band. In the end, she decided that it was worth the risk to be true to herself. Her main goal as of now was to try and get him to see her as more than just his best friend and it was proving to be very difficult.

The kicker was how to get his slower mind to understand her feelings without tipping off the other two. This would be especially challenging since 2D was not the most observant man in the world so she would have to be somewhat obvious. Most of the time he seemed to be in la-la land due to over medicating or just flat out not paying attention. She knew that thinking too hard about things made his migraines start acting up, so she really couldn't blame him much for his constant state of blissful unawareness. But it was beginning to frustrate her to no end! She had seen him in rare times of clarity whether it be because his mind was so focused on his music that the words seemed to flow out or because he'd taken an inhumanely long amount of time thinking out an issue presented to him. She knew that it would take a while, but she could penetrate that hard head of his; she was bound and determined.

Luckily for her, she didn't think she'd have too much trouble throwing the other two off of her scent. They hadn't even noticed the little things she'd been doing for the past few months to try and get the youngest man's attention, so why would they start now? Russel still viewed her as a daughter so much so that when she'd started changing her outfits to accent her body more she'd almost thought he would cry with how much he was going on about how his baby-girl was so grown up now. Murdoc was even more clueless about the whole thing. He had noticed her changes in appearance but had just shrugged it off figuring the fans would go wild for it. "At least now they won't mistake you for a boy," he'd cackled one morning. She'd punched him in the arm good for that one. He couldn't play his bass for over a week after that!

The only one who strangely hadn't commented was the man she'd been vying for. Every morning was the same. 2D would look up from his cereal, greet her with a toothless smile, and then go back to playing with his fruit loops as if they were the most fascinating things in the world. It was maddening! How could she be any more obvious?

No matter; today would be different. Even if he did ignore the signs at breakfast, she had a plan to show him exactly how she felt. There was no possible way he could mistake the signs this time. With a mischievous smile she sauntered out of the room and headed downstairs to breakfast like a cat on the prowl.

Meanwhile 2D was downstairs sitting at the kitchen table staring intently at his morning cereal. They were fruit loops as expected, but today they didn't quite have their appeal. His bruised eyes were narrowed at them as if they might bite him instead of greet him with their usual sugary-goodness. Though to be honest cereal was the furthest thing from his mind.

Lately, he'd been under the impression that his medication might be messing with him. He was starting to see things that he wasn't really sure were there or not and it was internally freaking him out. He'd tried to ignore it. Hell, he'd even been popping less pills than his usual regardless of how bad his headaches were. In fact, he very much would've preferred his head to be a lot clearer than it was now because the most basic of things were becoming agony to his damaged mind. But he had to be sure on what was real and what wasn't because if he was wrong and it wasn't the pills talking, he'd have much bigger problems on his plate.

He really hadn't noticed anything out of the ordinary until a few months ago. He'd began to notice some weird things about their youngest band member. She always seemed to be staring at him, sometimes he wasn't even looking at her but could feel it all the same. But when he'd look up suddenly or when they'd hang out she'd be perfectly normal. Then her clothes started changing. Gone were the baggy pants and tank tops and suddenly there were spaghetti straps and short shorts. Even her skirts seemed to be getting smaller. He couldn't help but notice that the change accented her slim figure quite nicely giving him views he'd never thought he'd ever see before. He probably could have ignored that bit the best he could if she hadn't gotten so damn touchy feely lately. She would pass by and touch his shoulder. Sometimes she would hug him just a bit too long to be appropriate.

He rather liked her hugs and he loved their friendship, but he was starting to have thoughts that he felt weren't as healthy about her. Like for instance how stunning she looked right now as he glanced up just in time to see her strut casually into the kitchen. His breath nearly caught in his throat; just what was she wearing? It was some sort of short sleeved sweater dress that was a light blue material. It was roomy enough at the top to leave some to the imagination, but bottom of it was skin tight and rose mid-thigh. She had a few of those strange waist belts that women sometimes wore to accent their figures. 2D'd never really cared for them before, but suddenly he found them to be a novel idea! But the part he liked the best was that she kept her old combat boots with it. They made her shapely calves stand out in contrast and gave her an edgy vibe. Once again, her beautiful emerald eyes were piercing him with that strange look she'd been throwing him lately.

His face began to feel warm, so he cleared his throat and returned his attention back to his cereal where he could safely ogle without the fear of getting slapped. Thank god no one could tell where his pupils were or he'd be a dead man every morning. This was Noodle, his little love. He couldn't help but feel embarrassed that his mind kept concocting these tantalizing images of her. It made him feel like some sort of dirty old man. Oh God, was he turning into _Murdoc!?_

"Morning, boys!" her cheery voice interrupted his frantic thoughts as she plopped down in front of him. 2D looked up again, somewhat startled. He'd forgotten that Russ and Muds were already in the kitchen with him. Russ had just finished making his own breakfast and was about to sit down himself. Murdoc had been somewhat silent all morning as he texted some girl he'd met the other night while absently sipping his morning vodka and orange juice.

"Mornin' Noods," he mumbled, a bit less cheery than normal. He was still feeling slightly perturbed that he was seeing her this way again. He'd thought for sure it was just his meds playing tricks on him! _Damn._

Noodle cocked her eyebrow at his less than enthusiastic greeting, but shrugged and stole some toast from Murdoc's untouched plate.

"'Ey tha' was mine," he groused, pausing his texting momentarily to glare at her.

"You weren't even going to eat it," she retorted, rolling her eyes and sticking her tongue at him. Russel chuckled at her antics and continued shoveling his tasty meal into his mouth. Breakfast really was his favorite meal of the day.

"Woteva' girlie, do it again and I'll bite yeh little finga's off," he threatened, smiling wide enough to show his discolored sharpened teeth before returning his attention to his phone. 2D didn't even want to know what was going on in that little text-chat. He'd learned long ago to never snoop into Murdoc's personals. He'd wanted to bleach his eyes for weeks last time he'd seen the other man's browser history.

"Whoops," Noodle's unapologetic voice cut through his thoughts as he looked up to see that she'd somehow gotten jelly all over her hand from the toast. She giggled a bit to herself and then leaned forward to dart her tongue out across the length of the back of her hand before sucking slightly on her forefinger. She closed her eyes a moment afterward as if to savor the flavor before opening them again to lock eyes directly with his. "I'm a little messy sometimes," she said softly before winking and going back to ignoring him for food.

2D nearly sputtered as he almost knocked his cereal over looking back and forth between the lot of them. Had Russ and Muds really not seen that!? It had just happened! _Right in front of them!_ But no, now they were all giving him weird looks instead of acknowledging that sexy display that had just happened right under their noses.

"You okay, 'D?" Russ asked, his milky white gaze fixed on him in worry.

"Aw, ignore this ol' Tusspot!" Murdoc interjected, slapping 2D upside the head causing him to wince at the impact that reverberated through his skull. He gave a small whimper of regret that he had been so frugal with his pills this morning. "Aw, shut it. 'Din even hitcha' tha' hard," Murdoc said, standing from the table abruptly. "Anyways, I'm off. Got things teh do, birds teh fuck. Ta' lads," he paused and mock-bowed to Noodle, "and lady." Then he was off doing God knows what.

"What about you, Russel?" Noodle asked the big man curiously as she flicked a few crumbs from the table. "You sticking around today?"

"Nah, sorry. I've got stuff to do today, unfortunately," Russ replied, wiping his face with a napkin before collecting their dishes. "I'll be back tonight though," he promised with a smile as he started putting things away.

"That's okay! I found something really cool in the attic that I wanted to show Toochi anyway. We can hang out tomorrow," she told him with a smile, before turning back to her now frazzled friend.

"You did?" 2D asked her with a blank look on his face. He hadn't even realized they had an attic. Though this was an old house so he supposed that made sense. Come to think of it, did they have a basement too? He really hadn't had a chance to explore much even though they'd been settled in for a while. He'd been too busy getting back into the swing of things with the band and helping with new ideas for songs.

"Yeah, there's this super cool abandoned room up there. It's all seventies and stuff up there," she explained, bouncing in her seat excitedly. "But the best part is someone left their record player with all the records!"

"Really?" he asked, now equally as excited. He _loved_ listening to old records. The sound was magnificent! The singers always sounded so nostalgic and heartfelt. Music back then really meant something to people in contrast with the garbage that was released in popular demand these days. That was one of the reasons why he fell in love with music in the first place – the freedom to express himself without the barriers of the world holding him back. He was sure that whatever they found up there would be inspiring to say the least.

"C'mon, let's go!" she exclaimed and she hopped ups and grabbed him by the sleeve practically dragging him from the room. "You'll absolutely love it!"

"Have fun, you two. Stay out of trouble!" Russ called after them, but by then they were already long gone from the kitchen.

Upstairs Noodle came to a stop as she looked up and pulled on a string that was hanging down from the ceiling. She stepped back a little as a small ladder slid down to become level to them. Above was a wooden panel in the shape of a square. She gave him a quick smile before hurrying up the ladder and revealing that the strange panel was really a trap-door. "Come on up, then," she ordered as she pulled herself up and disappeared through the opening.

Below, 2D was slightly shell-shocked. In Noodle's haste to get up the ladder, she'd apparently forgotten that she'd been wearing a mini skirt and had accidentally flashed the man her somewhat scandalous black lacy underwear. All thoughts left his mind a moment as he stood there with his mouth opened unable to move. He only came out of his daze when she shouted again, making him jump slightly before he tried to shake the image from his mind and followed her up.

"Woah," he gasped as he broke the threshold and crawled into the room. For a moment he simply looked around in amazement, his previous predicament temporarily forgotten. This room was _cool_. Posters littered the old wood paneled walls with everything from the _Rolling Stones_ to _The Who._ It wasn't just posters either; there were old yellowing newspaper clippings depicting various old bands rocking out at live performances having the time of their lives. At one end of the room was a dusty old carpet divan that had seen better days, a battered up recliner, and an old wooden coffee table. At the other side of the room was one of the biggest record collections 2D had ever seen. They were all stacked neatly in wooden advertising crates that had been placed on top of each other to function like a giant bookshelf of sorts. There was a nice 1970s style sound system next to it with the most beautiful old record player 2D had ever seen.

He slowly came closer to the machine as he looked closely at it to see what kind it was. The record player was incased in a protective plastic case that was see through so that you could see all the nobs and the needle at the side as the main turn table looked good as new as if it was standing still with time. Stamped proudly on the device was the name _Technics SL-1700_. "My mom 'ad one o' these once," he commented absently as he carefully lifted the top up. A small cloud of dust circulated around him cauising him to sneeze a bit, but otherwise he was fine, enthralled with their new find. "S'really neat cuz teh a'm knows when tha' recor's done an' goes back teh the rest by itself," he told her dreamily as he inspected the needle to make sure it wasn't broken. "This one's a real beauty, love," he complimented, giving her a warm smile.

"I knew you'd like it," she smiled sweetly as she came closer hugging a record to her chest. She couldn't get over how adorable he was when he was passionate about something. She loved the way his face would light up and his cheeks would get those little dimples of his from the smallest pleasures. Even without any color to his eyes, it was easy to tell that they were shining in wonder. It was very charming and endearing. She nearly forgot what she was doing as she happily observed him.

"Whatcha' got there?" he asked her, knocking her back into reality as he held his hand out for the record.

"Oh!" she laughed to herself as she held it out to show him. "I found this up in one of the top crates. I'd never seen one in person before, so I was pretty excited to show you," she explained as he looked over the cover.

She had handed him a first edition of the _Beatles_ ' first album " _Meet the Beatles_. _"_ It had a picture of all four band members on the cover. They appeared to be standing in a very shadowed room because for the most part, you could only see half of their faces silhouetted in the old black and white photo. He very carefully removed the LP from the large sleeve and marveled at the fact that there were no scratches of any kind on it. "Let's listen to it," he said, tone dripping with guilty pleasure because if there was one record that they probably should not be playing for antiquities sake it was definitely this one. The two shared conspiring grins as he placed it onto the turn table and pressed a button that helped guide the needle in place.

The effect was immediate as the familiar guitar strokes filled the room in startling clarity followed by the familiar lyrics that they both knew by heart (as any true Brit should!). They both sang along joyfully as the words began.

 _"Oh yeah, IIIII tell ya somethin'_

 _I think you'll understaaaand_

 _Wheeen IIIIII say that somethin'_

 _I wanna hold your haaaand!"_

Noodle laughed joyfully and grabbed his hand as they began to dance together merrily throughout the room singing to their hearts content. Every now and then they would pause in their movement to face each other and shout their favorite parts before they'd go back to swinging each other around the room. She couldn't believe how much fun this was turning out to be! It was going even better than she imagined. She couldn't help but grin up at his flushed singing face. He looked so enthralled with the moment and completely in tune with the music. She hadn't seen him this relaxed and happy in years.

Finally, the song was coming to an end and if she knew anything, it was that their time was drawing to a close just as the last lyric was being sung. She knew it was now or never. So as 2D began to sing the final notes, she very gently pulled him closer and suddenly cut him off with a sweet kiss.

" _I wanna hold your HaaaaAAaaaaAAaaannn- Mmmph!"_

It was over as soon as it had begun, but 2D's eyes were now comically wide as he stared into her very serious and deliberate ones. The next song had started playing in the background, but neither of them were paying attention to it as they waited for the other's reaction still holding one another in a frozen dance position. Noodle's defiant expression slowly turned into a slightly worried one as the minutes ticked away and the singer still hadn't done anything but look at her dumbfounded.

"So it wasn't tha' pills?" he suddenly blurted rather stupidly, looking very bothered as he peered down at her.

"No," she said slowly, arching one of her perfect eyebrows at him, "I've been trying to get your attention for months," she admitted to him as she stared down at their entwined hands as if they were the most interesting things in the world. "I thought you were ignoring me."

"You though' I was…" he trailed off, his face going lax again as he tugged his hand from her grasp and stepped away from her for a moment so he could try and think better. Damn his disorganized mind to Hell, nothing was making sense. Several thoughts were jumbled at the forefront of his mind and it was causing a horrible pressure to build. She'd thought he was ignoring her? Hell, he could barely look away from her. "What are yeh, doin' teh me, love?" he mumbled under his breath as his thoughts continued to run wildly through his muddled brain.

"I'm trying to show you that I want you," she stated firmly as she stepped forward and placed one of her hands on his cheek. The action forced him to look at her again and she could see the confusion and guilt reflecting in his dark gaze.

"But I can't," he said in a quiet voice, finding his reasoning somewhere deep in the crevices of his tattered mind. "S'not right, Noodle. I'm alo' older than you. I've not even really go' much of a brain left wit Mudz givin' me these dents an' all," he tried to explain to her as he once again tried to step away from her. A very nervous look was making its way to his face and while he didn't want to hurt her, he felt like he needed to get very far away from her before they would do something they would regret.

"I don't care, Stu," she said, using his real name as if to add emphasis on just how serious she was about the matter. "Fuck the rules. You make me happy. Why do you think I've never brought anyone over or never go on many dates? No one knows me like you do. I know you're not perfect, but neither am I. We are both damaged and we both need each other. I love you," she told him with steady confidence, never once breaking eye contact with him.

"L-love?" he stuttered, realizing just how deep they suddenly were. Weren't they just dancing and having fun minutes before? When had things become so heavy? His eyes softened as he looked deeply into her honest ones. He wanted so deeply to accept her confession with open arms. It was so honest and beautiful. It was causing a warm fuzzy feeling to seep through his lanky bones. But his heart was breaking at the same time, causing a painful friction within his being because he knew that he _couldn't_ accept this. It would be irresponsible to tie her down to someone like him who was not only twelve years her senior but also mentally unstable. And the band, what would happen to the band. No, he couldn't let her throw away everything for him. He couldn't jeopardize her future like that.

"I'm s-sorry, bu' I can't," he told her, shaking his head. Even as he tonelessly told her know, he could feel his resolve trembling and he knew that if he kept looking into her now sad gaze he might crumble. "You deserve a nice youn' chap. Someone much betta' than me, lu- I mean, uh Noodle," he winced as he corrected himself, seeing the hurt she was carefully trying to mask reflect in her eyes. "I've um… I gotta go…" he squeaked before quickly hopping down through the hatch leaving her alone with the now haunting voices from the record playing behind her.

She stared at the spot he'd been standing in just moments before. Then sighed and turned around to stop the record. With a flick of a knob, the little arm returned to its rest just as he said it would. Then she smiled absently and touched her lips again, thinking about the kiss and his dazed expression. "Oh, Toochi. You only _think_ you can escape me," she said with a private snicker to herself. "But I've got you right where I want you whether you know it or not."

* * *

A/N: Wow! Thank you all for the reviews, follows, and favs! You guys are awesome!

I actually have that same record player and album downstairs somewhere I just haven't used it in a suuuuper long time. I hope it still works, lol. I'm honestly not sure if they're as crazy about the Beatles in Britain as they are in America. We've practically immortalized them here. I remember when we held the 50th anniversary of the Beatles and Paul stood up for his speech and was like "Well, I didn't really realize we'd affected America this much…" I remember being kind of shocked about that because of how much influence the Beatles have on even the music that is made today. You can always find their undertones everywhere. It's always either them or MJ. We've even named a whole music era after them called the _British Invasion_. They started it and suddenly British bands were everywhere, lol (I'd also like to point out that I think it's freaking awesome that Ringo showed up in a Playboy Bunny shirt. Everyone else was in suits and he was like 'Ah, Fuck it.').

Anyways, let me know what you think!


	5. Chapter 5

**She's My Collar**

 _By: KKM_

Disclaimer: I do not own the Gorillaz or any related characters/songs. Gorillaz are © Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett.

* * *

 **Last Time:**

 _"I'm s-sorry, bu' I can't," he told her, shaking his head. Even as he tonelessly told her know, he could feel his resolve trembling and he knew that if he kept looking into her now sad gaze he might crumble. "You deserve a nice youn' chap. Someone much betta' than me, lu- I mean, uh Noodle," he winced as he corrected himself, seeing the hurt she was carefully trying to mask reflect in her eyes. "I've um… I gotta go…" he squeaked before quickly hopping down through the hatch leaving her alone with the now haunting voices from the record playing behind her._

 _She stared at the spot he'd been standing in just moments before. Then sighed and turned around to stop the record. With a flick of a knob, the little arm returned to its rest just as he said it would. Then she smiled absently and touched her lips again, thinking about the kiss and his dazed expression. "Oh, Toochi. You only think you can escape me," she said with a private snicker to herself. "But I've got you right where I want you whether you know it or not."_

* * *

 **Chapter 5: Momentz**

It had been a full week since the _incident_ and 2D still had not emerged from his room. In that time, the poor singer had tried to think of anything that might help his situation. Noodle's confession had really caught the man by surprise. It wasn't that he wasn't flattered by it (he was actually still in disbelief that she'd actually admitted it – he'd seriously thought he'd been imagining things before), in fact if he was about ten years younger he'd have jumped at the chance to be with her. She was everything anyone would want in a girl as far as he was concerned. She was sweet, loyal, and frankly one of the best friends he'd ever had. She never judged him for his short comings and always seemed to have his back. He also loved her passion and tenacity. She'd always been somewhat of a spitfire when it came to getting what she wanted and now he had to add drop dead gorgeous to his list.

That kiss… It had been such a surprise and yet so electrifying. He couldn't believe that she would choose _him_ of all people. It only seemed to fuel the desire that had been lurking in the corners of his subconscious. Suddenly all of those moments that she had hugged him just a bit longer and wanted to spend time with only him came to the forefront of his mind. The clothes, the flirting, and everything had been to impress _him_. No one had ever tried to do those things for him before. Then she'd even gone so far as to say she loved him. An unwelcome shiver ran down his spine each time he remembered the conviction in her voice and the sincerity in her sparkling green eyes as she'd said it. He'd wanted so bad to return her sentiments, to reach out and hold her close and tell her about how amazing he truly thought she was.

But the fact of the matter was that he _wasn't_ her age and that he _shouldn't_ be thinking of her as anything more than his best friend or maybe a close sister. Reality was a horrible thing and it was weighing down heavily on his lanky shoulders threatening to squash him under its mighty weight. Even if he didn't want to, he knew that he needed to be responsible and try and sway Noodle's fixation before it became something worse. A relationship with her was just a pleasant dream. In reality it would put the whole band and all of their hard work at risk. He remembered back to a time when Noodle had been afraid to lose her family because she had protected herself from an awful situation. He'd told her that they would never think down on her for something like that. But in this case, he knew it would be something entirely different. Not only would Russel and Murdoc be against it, but he was pretty sure the media and the rest of the world would put their two cents in too. Not only would it be brought up that the three had raised her since she was ten, but they would also put her in a bad light in lines of stability for dating someone who was obviously so messed up in the head that he normally coasted through his days on a high. He didn't even want to imagine the horrible things they'd call her.

No, she'd be ruined. Their lives were too on blast to risk it. He never wanted to see that pain in her eyes again. Being with him would do more harm than good, even if his heart would now probably always yearn for it. It just wouldn't be healthy. She needed someone who was smarter than him. She needed someone who would be able to fight for her and keep her safe. She needed someone who she could depend on. He knew that he would never be able to be those things. Years from now she might even resent him for his lifestyle no matter how hard he would try to please her. He just wasn't made of the stuff he felt she needed. Cognitively, he felt like a joke or a bad rerun stuck on repeat. Strength and Stu Pott just weren't meant to be in the same sentence. He used to take near-daily beatings from their band leader; who'd want to be tied to that? Sometimes his mind was so jumbled he didn't know his head from his arse. He couldn't rightly live with himself if he knew that he was just forcing her to watch him deteriorate before her eyes. He had too much baggage that he didn't want to weigh her down with. He loved and cared about her too much for that.

But what should he do then?

He flopped backwards on his bed with an unhappy sigh and stared at the stained ceiling. Hurting her unintentionally was the last thing he wanted to do, so that only really left one option. It made him cringe even as he thought about it: he'd have to help her find a boyfriend. The thought was nauseating to his already weak stomach. He thought about what it would be like to see her with her arms wrapped around another man. It would be completely unbearable. He knew that he would hate it, but what other choice did he have? He'd sacrifice anything for her happiness; even his remaining sanity.

He kicked a few empty pill bottles from his bed as he twisted his body around on its side and looked around at his messy floor boredly hoping for some inspiration. He didn't really expect to find much, his room had always been notoriously messy. Some of it was to do with his poor eyesight, but the majority was plain old-fashioned laziness. When he was done with something he would simply toss it on the ground in hopes of maybe finding it later. There were all kinds of goodies littering the un-vacuumed floor. Piles of clothes were a given, but there were also things like empty spray paint cans he never got rid of, magazines, video game cases, a golf club, medicine, and crumpled posters. His dark eyes landed on one in particular that was nearby depicting the silhouettes of people dancing on a wild technicolored dance floor. He stared at it blankly for a while until an idea formed in his mind.

What if he took Noodle to a club?

Tons of fun people went to clubs. Maybe if he took her there she would meet people her own age and realize what a mistake she was making. She might even meet someone there while she was at it. As for him, he could just sit at the bar and drink himself away to his misery until he wouldn't be able to remember the horrible reason why he'd brought her there in the first place. It was a win-win situation. A crazed grin was making its way to his face and the more he thought about it, the more it seemed like something that could work. "Yeh, that's it!" he said to himself, suddenly jolting himself from his bed and swiftly exiting his room for the first time in days.

She was in the kitchen when he found her drinking some oolong tea with a depressed frown on her face. He hesitated a moment before building up his resolve and approaching her. "N-Noodle?" he winced a bit at how weak and timid his voice sounded. She didn't really seem to notice as her eyes widened and she spun around in her chair to face him.

"Uh," he paused, looking at her hopeful, expectant eyes. "I wos thinkin' we haven' really gotten to explore an' have some fun since we moved here and afta' the other day…. I just kinda' thought it might be fun teh get ou' and do somefing," he tried to explain. Her hopeful smile was getting wider and he realized he needed to hurry and backtrack a little so she wouldn't get the wrong idea. "I-I mean, no' like a date or anything coz li' told you I dun think tha's a good idea. But yo' my lil love an' I still want to spend time wif you," he finished, biting his lip anxiously.

She narrowed her eyes a little at him and took a small sip of her tea. "So," she paused, looking over his crumpled appearance a moment before continuing. "You'd like to take me out for a night of fun but it isn't a date," she repeated to let him know that she understood. She chuckled to herself a moment before standing and abandoning her half empty cup to walk toward him. When he nervously backed up a step, she smirked and grabbed him by the collar playfully to prevent him from moving away any further. "If that's what want, we'll go. But I know what you are trying to do," she said in a low teasing voice before letting him go and walking away.

He stood there temporarily petrified for a moment before shaking himself out of his stupor. "I mean it, Noodle! Jus' as friends!" he shouted back at her retreating form before quickly covering his mouth when he realized he'd said it loud enough for the whole house to hear. He decided not to stick around to find out if anyone heard and quickly returned back to his room for safety.

Later that night, 2D found himself entering a noisy upbeat nightclub with Noodle trailing slightly behind him. He was having a _very_ hard time not glancing back at her every five seconds or so due to her provocative choice of outfit. She was wearing a skin-tight backless black little number that showed off a small little Kanji tattoo she had on the back of her right shoulder. When had she even gotten a tattoo? 2D gulped as he tried not to imagine what else the naughty axe princess had been hiding from them. It was obvious that she had just as much of a plan going into this as he had, but he needed to keep his resolve if this was going to work.

He winced a bit at how loud the music was as they headed toward the back of the club where the bar was. He'd known it was going to be horribly loud and had tried to plan accordingly by taking his headache medication in advance. So far, it wasn't really helping much as the thumping of the base seemed to reverberate through his mind like a jack hammer. The flashing lights and lasers weren't a big help either due to his poor eye sight. This was one of the reasons why he always went immediately to the bar in places like this. It was the only safe place for someone like him otherwise he'd be liable to get lost or swallowed by the thick crowd. Luckily it was so busy here that no one had recognized them yet. He was hoping to keep it that way.

"There it is, just ahead!" Noodle shouted beside him, pointing at some empty barstools. She grinned and grabbed him by the arm, practically dragging him there so that no one would steal the seats. "This place is great!" she exclaimed over the loud music as they ordered their drinks.

"Yeah, s'okay," 2D replied, a little less enthusiastically before gratefully taking the beer that was offered to him by the bartender. He was still trying very hard not to look at her. He knew that if he made eye contact he'd be sunk. "Order whatchu want, my treat."

"Cool," she said, though he could tell by her clipped tone that she was starting to get annoyed with him for ignoring her. He listened as she ordered a Kamikaze and then saw her turn toward him out of the corner of his eye. Still he refused to look at her.

"So, if this how you're going to be all night?" she questioned him with a frown, leaning a little closer to him as she tried to force him to look at her.

"I dun know what you mean, I'm just sittin' ere like I always do," he said in a disinterested voice. "I've always enjoyed the bah ere."

"That's not what I mean and you know it," she growled. "You invite me here to hang out under the pretenses that you don't want it to be a date but you still want to spend time with me. Then you refuse to even give me the time of day? Why am I even here, Stu?"

At her biting tone, he furrowed his brows angrily and finally turned to look at her with a scowl on his normally carefree face. "Oh, don' you dare try to play victim ere, Noodle. I _tol'_ you this wasn't a date an' you still dressed li' that!" he said in frustration as he gestured to her very revealing outfit. "How c'n I properly hang ou' wif you when yeh playin' all these games? I _know_ you did it the fuck wif me and guess wot? It's not workin'!" he said childishly. Secretly he was more pissed that her plan _was_ working. He was nearly getting dizzy from how hard he was forcing himself not to ogle her in her full glory. He had a mission to accomplish, damn it!

"Is _that_ what you think? You selfish prick!" she sneered, downing her drink quickly and slamming it back onto the bar as she stood with a huff. "I came here tonight because I wanted to spend time with my best friend. But I guess he's not here because he was too busy being a whiny bitch to hang out with me. You don't want me here? Fine! Fuck it. I came here to have fun. I don't need _you_ to do that," she trilled hot headedly before stomping off to the dance floor.

2D gave a great sigh as he watched her go, maybe staring at her ass a little longer than he meant to. It had been his plan all along to piss her off so that she'd go and make new friends, but it still made him feel horrible. Even though she hadn't said it, he knew that he was slowly crushing her by treating her this way. But his Noodle was a strong one. He knew she'd eventually be okay.

"Rough night, man?" a loud voice boomed beside him as a big beefy hand clapped him on the shoulder in an over-friendly manner that could only be described as distinctly American. 2D turned to look at his new companion blankly, the cogs in his mind stalling a moment as he tried to shift his thoughts back in order. Suddenly something seemed to click and his face began to reanimate as a huge gap-toothed grin split his face.

"Maseo!" he greeted the large black man enthusiastically. Maseo was one third of the American hip-hop group _De La Soul_. 2D had always loved working with the three Brooklyn men. They were always so down to earth and talented. They had been featured in several songs over the years that had been extremely successful to the band and were a welcome force every time they visited. "Wha' are you doin' ere? Las' I heard, you guys were back in 'Merica workin' on a new album."

"Maaaaan, Don't Murdoc tell you all nothin?" he laughed uproariously before taking a swig of his drink. "Jus got done meeting with him on yo' new album. He's got some ideas brewin' again."

"Nah, Muds dun tell us much, 'cept maybe Russel. Dun like it when we blurt stuff on accident," he explained conversationally. "But you guys are gonna feature again? Tha's great!"

"Yeah man, should be 'aight," Maseo agreed with a smile as he continued sipping his brew with vigor. "Trugoy and Posdnuos should be here in a couple of days and then we'll talk beats," he promised.

"Excellent," 2D nodded, swinging his legs a bit as he finished his beer. For the moment he was carefree and distracted. However, that small reprieve vanished as soon as the next question came out of his friend's mouth.

"But what was that before? Was that Noodle, man? She looked pissed."

"Yeah," the singer groaned before looking bck out to see Noodle dancing extremely provocatively with some Italian looking guy that had blonde highlights. He felt jealousy boil through him at how close their bodies were meshing. It seemed like she was doing all she could to make it as suggestive as possible to retaliate against him. Almost on cue, her wild eyes made contact with his and she flipped him off with a smirk of victory. Then her attention was taken away from him again as she accepted an offered drink from her new dance partner. 2D made a sound of disgust as he turned back to Maseo with a perturbed look on his face. "We had a bit ova disagreement," he said, not caring to elaborate.

To his surprise, the American merely laughed and shook his head. "She's just growing up is all. She was bound to be a rebellious one with all that spark she's got. I bet she's been givin' Russel a run for his money. I know how tight a leash he tries to keep her on, but that baby-girl is gonna need to fly soon befo' she does somethin' crazy."

"I guess," 2D said absently as he looked back over in that general direction. His heart suddenly stopped when he realized she wasn't there. He didn't see the irony of her disappearance and his plan. Instead, he felt a horrible uneasiness in his stomach as his dark eyes frantically searched the strobing room for any signs of her. " _Shit_ ," he swore as he stood, looking around every which way he could.

"You okay, man?" Maseo asked in a concerned voice as he moved to stand too.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," 2D muttered as he turned to bid the other man goodbye. "Look, I gotta' go make sure she isn't gettin' into any trouble. I'll see you guys when you come teh the studio."

"Aight, man. It was good to see ya'," Maseo said as they briefly clasped hands and he watched the lanky blue-haired man try to navigate through the crowd. "Maaaaan, she gotchu pussy-whipped," he laughed to himself before returning to the bar to enjoy the rest of his night.

Meanwhile, out back of the nightclub Noodle was having a hard time focusing on what exactly was going on. One moment she'd been having fun trying to piss 2D off with her new friend as she swayed to the music and the next she'd found herself being dragged out into the slight chill of the night. What was really bothering her was the slight haze that seemed to be forcing its way into her mind. Her legs were slightly uncoordinated and her movements were feeling sluggish. When had she gotten drunk? As far as she could remember, she'd only had one drink.

"Le's go baaaack," she slurred, her Japanese accent becoming thick as she tried with all her might to stop the world from spinning. She tried to tug her arm from the man's grip, but her arms felt weak and sort of like noodly. "Haha, my arms are li' Nooooodles. Like my naaaame," she giggled as he tugged her along. Then she frowned, realizing they weren't heading back to the door yet. "Hey waaait, I wanna go baaaack. My friend is back theeeere. He might worry!"

"God, shut the fuck up before someone hears us," the man whispered in a harsh voice, tightening his grip on her arm as he tried to drag her deeper into the dimply lit alleyway.

Warning signs seemed to be going off somewhere deep in her mind as she tried to struggle harder against his force. "I said no! I wanna go back to Stuuu!" she shouted, now seeming to realize that she was in danger as she tried to kick him but failed miserably somehow. Had she been drugged? She just couldn't seem to get her body to cooperate all of the sudden.

"I said to shut the fuck up!" He drew back his hand as if to slap her before something hit him from behind causing him to fall forward in shock.

"I believe tha' lady said she wants teh go back in," 2D's angry voice rang through the alley. He was massaging his fist as he glared down at the man. He'd punched him as hard as he could when he'd seen what the man was about to do to his little love.

"What the fuck's wrong with your eyes?" The man spat, accidentally loosening his grip on the girl allowing her to break free.

"Stu!" Noodle shouted, staggering away from the man and nearly tripping as she ran to him. "I-I don' feel sho goo," she told him in a disoriented voice as she fell into him. He caught her with a concerned look on his face.

"The fuck?" he barely got the question out before he heard the man charging at them and quickly threw Noodle away from him with all of his strength as the man tackled him to the ground. He barely registered her shriek as she landed hard against the wall of the building. He was too busy trying to protect his face from the sudden onslaught of punches. The guy couldn't punch nearly as hard as Murdoc, but it still hurt! Wincing, he tried to concentrate as he looked over to the side and saw a pipe lying on the ground not too far away. Making a split decision, he suddenly reached out for it and before the guy knew what was going on, Stu had swung it with all his might causing it to connect with the side of his head with a sickening thump.

The man went limp and the singer shoved him off as he stood and dusted himself off. He glared down at the unconscious man and kicked him hard in the groin for good measure before spitting at him. "Fuckin' tosser," he snorted, then reached down to help his slightly unstable friend to her feet. He carefully cupped her face into his hands as he checked her over for any damage. Finding none, he sighed in relief before trying to help he walk.

"I'm sorrrrry," she whispered, still slightly afraid as she teetered beside him on her feet. She was having to lean very heavily against him in her current state.

"It's okay, Noods. I go' you," he promised, his face slightly bruised from the scuffle. "Let's just ge' the fuck outta' ere." He was still pretty hyped up on the adrenaline that had prompted him into action earlier and he didn't want to accidentally take his anger out on her. This had been so irresponsible of both of them! She should have known better to drink from someone else's shit and he should have been watching her better. Either way, he was going to have a nice long chat with her once whatever influence she was under wore off. He would make sure that something like this would _never_ happen again.

* * *

 **A/N:** Sooooo I dedicate this chapter to my cousin Rayven. She's become a die-hard fan of this stroy which I'm super proud of because as far as I know she's never really read any other Gorillaz stories. Every two days like clock-work I get this crazy text of WHERE IS MY CHAPTER!? So thank her for my diligence I suppose. _;

Hope you enjoy and thank you so much for the reviews/favs/follows! I'm glad that everyone seems to be enjoying it so far!


	6. Chapter 6

**She's My Collar**

 _By: KKM_

Disclaimer: I do not own the Gorillaz or any related characters/songs. Gorillaz are © Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett.

* * *

 **Last Time:**

 _The man went limp and the singer shoved him off as he stood and dusted himself off. He glared down at the unconscious man and kicked him hard in the groin for good measure before spitting at him. "Fuckin' tosser," he snorted, then reached down to help his slightly unstable friend to her feet. He carefully cupper her face into his hands as he checked her over for any damage. Finding none, he sighed in relief before trying to help he walk._

 _"I'm sorrrrry," she whispered, still slightly afraid as she teetered beside him on her feet. She was having to lean very heavily against him in her current state._

 _"It's okay, Noods. I go' you," he promised, his face slightly bruised from the scuffle. "Let's just ge' the fuck outta' ere." He was still pretty hyped up on the adrenaline that had prompted him into action earlier and he didn't want to accidentally take his anger out on her. This had been so irresponsible of both of them! She should have known better to drink from someone else's shit and he should have been watching her better. Either way, he was going to have a nice long chat with her once whatever influence she was under wore off. He would make sure that something like this would never happen again._

* * *

 **Chapter 6: Let Me Out**

2D was simply exhausted. When they'd gotten home from the club he had somehow managed to sneak himself and the nearly unconscious young guitarist into the house without waking his other two band mates. The stairs had been the worst because they were old and creaky. He could barely get the girl to move one foot in front of the other let alone go up while doing so. Once safely up the stairwell he'd dragged her into the closest room which had thankfully been hers. She'd been so out of it when he'd tucked her in that she didn't even try to latch onto him to force him to stay like she might have if she was more sober. Instead, she flopped into place lifelessly like a ragdoll. The first couple of hours had been nightmarish for the singer as he'd had to quiet her down several times as her drug-induced dreams caused her to call out and flip back and forth restlessly. But after a while, her body finally seemed spent as she remained still save for her light breathing and soft snores. Unfortunately, this left Stu to (for lack of a better term) _stew_.

For the remainder of the night he'd plopped himself into a large comfy chair he'd found next to a bookcase in her room. His arms were crossed and a deep frown was on his face as he watched over her diligently for any signs of distress. He just couldn't believe things had gotten so out of hand last night. Their little game had nearly caused Noodle to relive one of her worst fears if 2D had any inclination on what that man's intentions had been. And for what? Because they'd been trying so hard to piss each other off? It wasn't worth it at that price. Didn't she see that she was putting herself in danger acting so rash like this? He found it so frustrating he could barely think straight.

Morning came and went and still the guitarist still had not stirred. 2D had only left the room twice the entire time she'd been out. The first time was to relieve himself of his morning duties and the second had been to go to breakfast and explain to Russel that she wasn't feeling very good this morning. When the bigger man had asked him where he got his bruises, he simply laughed it off and said he'd been wrestling with Murdoc and it had gotten a little out of hand. It was a believable excuse considering the two _did_ scuffle a lot and he knew the bassist wouldn't be awake for another few hours anyway so no one had been there to say otherwise. After he'd eaten a quick bite of toast, he'd left telling Russel he'd go check on her again. The drummer had merely waved him away and told him to give an update if anything else changed. Russel had been working himself to the bone lately reaching out to other artists to try and talk them into featuring on their new album, so he'd most likely be gone the remainder of the day otherwise he'd have went up to check on her himself.

Finally around noon, the blue haired man noticed the first signs of life coming from his beloved guitarist. _"Shimtta,"_ she groaned against her pillow, one of her hands slowly coming up to rub her sweaty forehead. " _Watashi wa sakuya nani o shimashita,"_ she practically whined to herself. She always seemed to revert back to her native tongue when she thought she was alone. 2D had always found this habit to be endearing, but today he was feeling a lot less charitable. He stood up and grabbed a glass of water from her nightstand and a couple of pills that he'd prepared earlier for her. She gasped in surprise when he bent down to gently guide her lips to the rim of the cup. She hadn't know he was there/ "T-Toochi?" she questioned tiredly between sips.

"Shhhh," he shushed her as he continued to gently take care of her. Once he was certain her throat wasn't too dry, he placed the pills in the palm of his hand and brushed them against her lips. "You'll feel betta'.'" He murmured, focusing all his attention on making her well and trying not to dwell on how soft her lips were against his fingertips. He brought the glass back up to her parched lips so that she could use the water to swallow them easier. Once he was sure she had, he put the glass back down and sighed.

"What happened?" She asked him, trying to sit up a little. As far as she could tell, she was still in last night's clothes but couldn't for the life of her remember coming home. She knew something bad must have happened by the very disappointed look the other man was currently giving her as he looked her over. She didn't need to know where his pupils were to get the gist of what he was thinking. His facial expression said it all. "I don't remember…" she trailed off, a look of concentration on her make-up smeared features. "I feel so… _groggy_."

"I'm sure yeh do, love," he said, finally looking away from her as he opted to gaze at her wall instead. "Tha' tends teh happen when ya' let yo'self get drugged by a maniac."

"W-what?" she gave him a stunned look. Had she really been drugged? And why the fuck was he being so nonchalant about it?

When he turned to look back at her she was surprised not only to see the disappointment remain, but also what could only be described as silent rage. His seemingly eyeless gaze seemed to amplify the emotion causing his face to look angrier than she'd ever seen before. "Don' play stupid, Noodle. I _know_ yeh heard me. Tell me, was it worth it? Did you enjoy terrifyin' the fook outta' me while tha' wanker tried the ge' yeh? _Never_ accept drinks from strangehs no matta' how pissed you are! Yeh could have gotten yo'self killed!"

By the end of his rant he was standing, pacing around her room with a grimace on his face. His voice had steadily grown loader with each word until he almost felt he was shouting. Meanwhile she too had moved to stand and even though she wobbled a little, it was easy to see that she was becoming just as angry as he was. "Is that what you think I was trying to do!? How _dare_ you!" she screeched, pulling her crumpled skirt down a bit in an effort to try and cover herself before stomping up to him in all her Asian glory. "It was an _accident!_ For fuck's sake, Stu, you weren't even giving me the time of the day!"

"Tha' doesn't mean you shoul' go whore it up to the nex' one who'll have it!" he practically hissed. The room became dead silent as her mouth dropped open in disbelief. She couldn't even form words she was so appalled. Her mouth kept opening and shutting like a fish out of water. A hint of guilt crossed his face and he looked down slightly ashamed of himself. He knew she wouldn't have gone that far. It wasn't like him to lose his composure like this, but she really had scared him to death. In the club when he hadn't been able to find her, he'd feared the worst. He'd already thought he'd been too late to protect her from whatever was about to happen. And then when he'd found her in that alleyway about to be slapped by that prick he'd completely lost it. He was finding himself becoming more and more derailed around her without any possible way to keep himself in check. "I shouldn't 'ave said that," he admitted in a low voice, his hands clenched in tight fists at his side as he tried to calm down.

"No, you shouldn't have," she said in an equally tight tone as she glared at him, nostrils flaring slightly. She made a little noise of displeasure before stalking across the room and slapping him soundly across the face. She stared intently at him as he made no move to defend himself. His pale cheek was already becoming red where she struck. Their eyes were locked sharing all of the anger, disappointment, frustration… and desire.

She wasn't sure who moved first but suddenly they were both diving toward each other engaging in a passionate lip lock. There was nothing sweet or soft about it as they took out all of their emotions on each other. His fingers were tugging harshly at her hair pulling her as close as he could while he smashed their lips together. She didn't care if she was hurting him as she clawed wildly at his shirt. It was only when she let out a primal moan did he realize what they were doing and he shoved her away. Just as quickly as it had begun it was over and they were left panting hard as they gazed incredulously at each other with swollen lips.

"Fuck!" 2D cursed, tangling his hands into his hair, wondering how he'd let her get to him again. He looked at her vulnerable state again before swiftly turning and leaving the room "I've gotta' get outta' here."

"Toochi, _wait!"_ she tried, but he didn't listen. She jumped a little when she heard a door slam downstairs signaling he'd left the house. She fell to her knees in the middle of her room and cried. "What have I done?"

 **Back to Present:**

"I'm not really sure where he went after that," Noodle admitted, looking very uncomfortable as she explained what had happened. That horrible feeling of exposure was creeping its way through her system. She knew their actions were disappointing them. She chanced a look at Russel before glancing down again and absently playing with a broken guitar pick that had been left on the table as she waited for a reaction from the two older men.

Russel sat across from her dumbfounded. How could they both have been so stupid? This story was turning into somewhat of a nightmare for the bigger man. He knew that Noodle had never been innocent, but recklessly partying at clubs? Getting drugged? And then there was 2D who had obviously had the best intentions and yet at the same time couldn't seem to control himself. How had he missed all of this? The worst part is that he'd actually been in the house during parts of her story. He should have noticed if they hadn't been acting right.

Beside him, Murdoc seemed to be lost in thought. His head was tilted to the side and his eyes were unfocused as her words ran through his mind. Something was sticking out as familiar to him, but he needed his memory jogged a bit, it seemed. "You said 2-Dents tol' you he ran inteh Maseo?" he asked, the name rolling off of his tongue. "Hmmmnnn, and e' was a bit roughed up from tha' fight, yeh say?"

"Yes, that's right," Noodle frowned, not really understanding what Murdoc was getting at. She watched as the man seemed to mull over the information a bit longer before he paused and a strange look of epiphany crossed over his features. She was about to ask him about it when he suddenly stood, causing both herself and Russ to jump a bit at the suddenness.

"I think imma bit tired," he excused himself, heading for the door. "Let's continue this little chat tomorrow, yeah?"

"Ummm, I guess…" she trailed off, looking back at Russel. But he looked just as confused as she was.

"Ta' then!" he exclaimed as he disappeared and the door snapped shut behind him.

"What on Earth was that about?" she muttered, a bemused look on her face.

"With Muds you can never really tell, baby-girl," Russel supplied with a shrug. He was fairly used to the older man's shenanigans so he really didn't think much of it. "He does have a point though, it is nearly midnight. Maybe we should come back to this tomorrow."

Noodle nodded as she watched him stand, but looked a bit hesitant. "Russel…" she whispered, fidgeting a little as she looked away with a frown. She looked a bit like a child would after getting admonished by a parent. She wasn't sure what he thought about what she'd told them and it made her uneasy.

"Noodle-girl," Russel sighed, moving so that he was standing in front of her. He reached out and placed a beefy hand on each one of her shoulders. "I'm tryin' really hard to understand all this. Like I said earlier, it's a lot to take in and I'm worried about you. But no matter what, you'll always be my little girl," he promised, looking down at her with a small smile of reassurance.

That seemed to be exactly what she needed to hear as she teared up and threw herself into his arms. _"Otosan…_ " Though they sometimes barely acknowledged it, she'd always thought of Russel as her father-figure. When she'd been a lost little ten year old in an English-speaking world, he'd been the one to make sure that she was fed, comfortable, and had everything she needed. He had been the one she was most afraid of losing over this.

"It'll be okay. It might take a while for me to understand, but for you I will try," he promised, giving her a small squeeze of encouragement. "Let's get to bed, we'll worry about it tomorrow." She gave him a small sniffle, but nodded in agreement.

"I'm just worried because that's not even the worst of it," she said in a small voice, "What will you think of me then, Russel-sama?"

He frowned at the comment, but shook his head all the same. "I was young once too, Noodle. We all done stupid shit. Did you learn from it?" She nodded her head and he smiled, "then we can move on from there. Don't worry about it now. Just save it for tomorrow." With that he left her alone to her thoughts as he too exited the room.

"I may have learned my lesson, but how can I expect you to forgive me if I can't even forgive me?" she questioned to the empty room. Then she sighed and turned out the light.

* * *

 **A/N:** This chapter was very tricky for me. When depicting 2D as angry I was trying to be as realistic as possible without going overboard. I know it seems harsh that he called her a whore, but think of how emotionally charged you might be in that situation? I'd like to think that his thoughts would be out of control like a hurricane. He was running on lack of sleep combined with over-thinking all the horrible things that may have happened and he'd been very irregular with his headache medication if you remember from the previous chapters. I just don't think it was too far-fetched a reaction. Like I said I want to make this as blunt and real feeling as I can. We'll have a much "lighter" chapter next where we find out what exactly Murdoc realized and what happened after 2D left the house. Some Murdoc and 2D bonding time!

Lucky you, I was sick from work today so I had time to do this chappy real quick.

Enjoy!


	7. Chapter 7

**She's My Collar**

 _By: KKM_

Disclaimer: I do not own the Gorillaz or any related characters/songs. Gorillaz are © Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett.

* * *

 **Last Time:**

" _I'm just worried because that's not even the worst of it," she said in a small voice, "What will you think of me then, Russel-sama?"_

 _He frowned at the comment, but shook his head all the same. "I was young once too, Noodle. We all done stupid shit. Did you learn from it?" She nodded her head and he smiled, "then we can move on from there. Don't worry about it now. Just save it for tomorrow." With that he left her alone to her thoughts as he too exited the room._

 _"I may have learned my lesson, but how can I expect you to forgive me if I can't even forgive me?" she questioned to the empty room. Then she sighed and turned out the light._

* * *

 **Chapter 7: Out of Body**

A light breeze fluttered through 2D's wispy blue locks as he stared out into the cloudy night sky. The moon was hiding behind the clouds causing the edges to glow slightly illuminating the back porch as he leaned against one of the wooden banisters and lazily smoked a cigarette. His face blended like the patchy sky above with its now purple bruises, but he didn't seem to mind. He liked the calmness of it all. He didn't have to think out here, just _be._

He'd woken up not too long ago due to the steady pricks of pain that had been slowly nudging him into consciousness. It was a constant battle with him whether it was due to actual bodily harm or the constant pressure that would steadily build in his temples – medication just simply did not stay in his system long enough to ever fully make it go away. Instead it would just mask it for a bit and push it to the background so he wouldn't have to deal with it. But it always came back with a vengeance. Forever he was either stuck in a fog from something that was supposedly helping him or completely overtaken by the distracting banging in his head that made the world feel like it was trembling under a storm of crashing symbols. Sleep was usually cumbersome and would only last a few hours at a time before he'd have to choose which path to take again. Insomnia was a normal occurrence for the man, if the bruised bags under his damaged eyes was anything to go by.

Noodle was still gone when he'd finally decided to concede and painfully extracted himself from his warm cocoon of blankets and pillows. This didn't really surprise him, though he highly doubted they would finish talking tonight. He knew there was a lot to go over and he trusted her to keep her word when she said that she'd tell all of it exactly as it had happened. He didn't bother going to rejoin them as he knew that his presence was probably still unwelcome. He didn't really want to deal with their stares right now anyway. He was already in a lot of pain, he didn't need any awkwardness to be added to the equation just yet. So instead, he'd came here to attempt to calm his nerves with some much-needed nicotine.

He cringed a bit as his peace was interrupted from behind. It was interesting how something so simple as the back door opening could make him so tense and rigid that he felt his bones might break under the tension. He forgot to breath a moment as the smoke he'd just inhaled refused to leave. He stared up at the night sky as if maybe the clouds would open up and swallow him too. The steps were too light to be Russel's and yet not light enough to be Noodle's. So that left him with-

"Oh fer tha' love of- I'm not gonna' hitcha, Stu," Murdoc's gruff voice interrupted his thoughts as he glanced back at the older man with a grimace. To his surprise, the bassist stayed true to his word and instead moved to join him in lazily leaning against the railing of the porch. He watched as the other patted down his pockets and frowned coming up empty. As if on auto-pilot, the singer reached into his own pockets handing his friend his pack of smokes and a lighter, finally exhaling the huge buildup of smoke he'd been holding onto this whole time with a slight wheeze. "Tha's betta'," Muds said appreciatively as he lit his own cancer stick and pocketed the rest of 2D's. The singer either didn't notice, or was expecting this because he didn't try to ask for them back.

2D was much more interested in the other's reaction to be too bothered by something as measly as a pack of smokes. Murdoc had not given away any indication what so ever of what he was thinking and that made him more nervous than anything. A calm Murdoc could lash out at any moment and he wasn't so sure his face could survive another beating, so he decided to tread carefully and wait for his leader to make the first move.

They stayed silent a long while just smoking and enjoying the calmness of the night. It wasn't until their second cigarette that Murdoc finally spoke. "It was _her_ ," he said with a small chuckle, his mismatched eyes settling on the quiet man beside him as he watched the other with scrutiny. "She's tha' one you came to meh Winnie all inna huff abou'."

2D's face went blank for a moment as he mulled the accusation around his mind for a moment. When a memory slowly began to surface, he gave the older man a somewhat cheeky smile. "I wondered when you'd figa' it out, mate," he said, looking slightly amused. "Honestly, I thought you'd figa' it out soona wif how smart you are n'stuff. S'neva been easy hidin' it," he admitted.

"Makes a lo' mo' sense now that I think of it," Murdoc agreed, stubbing the butt of his cigarette into the wood, causing a burn mark where the cherry was snuffed out. Then he crossed his arms and leaned his hip against the rail instead, his full attention on the lanky man beside him. "No wonda' you wouldn' tell me. I thought you were hidin' 'er cuz you thought I'd give 'er the ol' one-two! No matta' how much I tol' you I wouldn' you wouldn' budge."

"Nah, I couldn' tell yeh then," 2D said shaking his head as he threw his own out in the yard somewhere. "Bu' tell me… woul' your advice still've been tha' same if you'd knew?"

The Satanist was quiet a moment as he contemplated it. "I dun know," he said honestly. "You're tha' only one crazy enough teh take my advice. Guess it worked ou' this time. S'why you wen' for it, right?"

"Yeah," 2D laughed, showing his gap-toothed grin, even though he was still in pain. "I fink it's wot you said tha' really convinced me teh go fer wot I wanted."

Murdoc shook his head and clapped 2D hard enough on his shoulder to cause a weak whimper. Tha's wha' friends are for, mate. Tha's what friends are for."

2D found himself relaxing in the other man's presence after that. They spent the rest of that night just bullshitting and talking about the night that changed it all.

* * *

2D rested his back against the front door and banged his head back against it a couple of times in frustration. What had he been thinking? One moment they'd been at each other's throats and the next they'd been feeling each other up like horny teenagers. He couldn't believe he'd allowed himself to kiss her _again_. Wasn't that the whole reason he'd taken her to the club in the first place? To try and ward off her feelings for him? He ran a hand through his unruly hair in exasperation and let out a disgusted sound. Now what was he supposed to do?

A squawk suddenly cut through his angry thoughts making him jump a little in surprise as he looked around frantically to find the source. He looked over just in time to see Cortez flap his wings indignantly from the top of Murdoc's Winnebago before flying away. _The Winnebago._ 2D's face went slack for a moment as he stared at the decrepit locomotive. Suddenly his mind caught up with his vision and he grinned. "Tha's it!" he exclaimed before peeling himself from the door and bounding down from the front porch. If anyone could help him take his mind off of things it was Muds!

He paused a moment after approaching, then gave a timid knock. On the other side of the door he could hear some banging around and grouchy cursing before the loud footfalls of Cuban boots could be heard rushing toward him. The door flung open suddenly to reveal the bare-chested bassist. Apparently he'd been expecting someone else because he was leaning against the door frame with one arm in a slightly slouched position that 2D had seen him use several times when trying to woo the ladies. Upon seeing 2D instead of a perspective shag, he merely cocked an eye brow at him and gave the taller man's bruised face a curious once over.

"Hello, Poof," he said after an elongated silence, not bothering to move his stance since he was apparently comfortable.

"Hi, Murdoc," 2D replied with a cheery grin and before the older man could even fathom what was happening much less _move_ , the younger man slug his fist at his face causing him to stagger back at the blow.

"Tha' fuck? Tha' how you wanna play, lil' shit!?" the Satanist growled with a hint of a smirk as he grabbed the twig of the man by the front of his shirt and threw him in before slamming the door shut. Then he flung himself forward and tackled the singer to the ground. The two struggled a few minutes kicking and punching at each other until both were satisfied and rolled away to lay on their backs breathing heavily. The oldest had a shit-eating grin on his face and the youngest looking satisfied that he'd relieved his anger in a 'healthy' fashion.

"Feel betta' now?" Murdoc asked in a gravelly voice as he sat up a bit to grab a pack of smokes. He fished out two curiously homemade looking cigarettes and rose them to his lips lighting both before offering one to the man lying beside him.

"Yeah," he said as he accepted it and closed his eyes inhaling a deep lungful. He held it a moment, realizing that this was one of Murdoc's _special_ blends. He only released the thick plum when he felt a burn in his chest that caused him to cough a little; a warm tingling feeling washing over him as he did so.

"Wanna talk abou' it?" Muds asked as he turned his head to spit something undoubtedly nasty on the floor beside him before leaning back to relax his head on his arms as his questionable cigarette dangled lazily on his lips. When he received no answer other than 2D staring at the ceiling, he turned on his side and propped up on his elbow to glare at the other man. "Don' you ignore me, Tusspot. I know yeh betta' than anyone. If you wos too high on them pain pills o' yours you'd be lil' mo' than a paperweight righ' now." He watched as 2D's lip twitched in amusement, trying and failing not to give himself away.

This was the part of 2D and Murdoc's friendship that not many got to see. Yes, most of the time Murdoc did get pissed off and easily annoyed at 2D's slowness, but this was mostly only when 2D was so dosed up that he couldn't function. When he wasn't fogged over by his pills, he was actually rather fun to be around. It was times like this when Murdoc remembered why they were best mates. In fact there were some times when they'd find themselves watching old interviews and laughing at how ridiculous they looked.

"Do they really fink yeh call me faceache all tha' time?" 2D had asked him once after they'd watched the _MTV Cribs_ feature together. They'd both gotten a good laugh at how twacked out he'd been staring mindlessly at that poster. It was a common occurrence that never seemed to get old. 2D never once held it against the bassist when he'd treat him like shit and get frustrated at him in that state of mind because later on when he'd be sobered up they could talk about it and make fun of the moment together. They'd even gone so far as to plan the best insults Muds could use to convince the fans of their crazy relationship. It was kind of like a big game to them because they knew it was all mostly harmless and just for the cameras.

" _Paperweight?_ " 2D laughed incredulously, no longer able to keep it to himself as his giggles turned into a coughing fit.

"Seemed abou' right," Murdoc chuckled with a shrug. "Now, wha's go' your knickers all inna twist?"

"S'nofin' really," he replied unconvincingly, looking away from him as he busied himself playing with the unraveling paper of his smoke.

"Ah, bullshi'!"Murdoc grunted, calling him out on it. "S'been a long time fo' you commin' the me all inna huff li' tha', Stu," he pointed out, giving him a knowing look. "This abou' a bird?"

2D frowned at how perceptive the other man was and groaned, taking another drag. He looked over to see the other's dilated mismatched eyes fixed on him in a scrutinizing gaze that dared him to try and lie. "Fiiiiine," he muttered, flopping his head back down against the floor again in a huff. "Yeah, alrigh'? I go' inna figh' with tha' girl I'm kinda' seeing."

"Ohhh heheh, dooooo tell," Muds encouraged with interest. It had been a long time since he'd heard of his friend seeing someone and he wanted all the gory details.

"S'not really much teh tell," Stu admitted, nervously running his fingers through a tuft of his blue hair. "She wants us teh be exclusive an' I dun fink it's a good idea. S'not tha' I dun want to. I actually _really_ do, but I don't fink she could withstan' the backlash. It'd ruin 'er."

"Fuuuuck," Murdoc groaned, giving him a long look. "Yeh really got feelings fo' this one," he said seriously.

"I-I guess I do," he admitted out loud for the first time, then he rolled over so that his empty gaze was focused on his friend. "I really care 'bout this one, Muds. Bu' I dun want to disappoint 'er an' I'm afraid of what'll happen if the press gets wind."

"Hn, the fuckin' press. S'always about tha' fuckin' press," he said, rolling his eyes as he sat up and flicked the butt of his cigarette into a nearby cup of water. He moved to sit cross-legged and looked down on his friend. "Look here, if ya' really li' this bird, jus' go fer it! Wha's the point n'bein' famous if yeh can' get what yeh want?"

2D's eyes widened slightly and he moved to sit up. "Bu' Muds, tha's not all! I mean, I'm a lo' olda' than 'er and I mean look at me. Half o'the time I'm eitha' stoned or 'ave a headache so bad I can' concentrate. I'm no' real bright most of tha' time neither. Wot kind of a life woul' I be giving 'er wif all tha' baggage?"

Murdoc rolled his eyes at the other man's pity-party and took a breath to calm down before speaking again. "An' does she already know 'bout all yer shit?"

"Well yes bu-"

"An' does she seem teh care?"

"Well no bu-"

"Then wot the fook'r you all worried abou'? If she c'n fall fer a black eyed, blue haired freak li' you while knowin' all yer shit then tha's worth something innit?" he asked. "I mean, shi' Stu, have you even slept with 'er yet?"

"… no," he admitted, turning a little red in the face as an image of Noodle's face scrunched in ecstasy flashed before his mind. "She's _special_."

Murdoc made a disgusted face and flicked his tongue out like he was trying to hold back a gag. "Ugh, Satan smite me if I eva' sound like tha'," he sneered, then shook his head. "Look, life ain't all roses an' shit, kid. If yeh want 'er, go get 'er. Don' let the fuckin' media or no one else take ova your shit. Does it look li' I give a damn when I do wha' I want? No, I do me. You shoul' do you wi' no regrets, Mate."

A thoughtful look crossed over the singer's face as he contemplated the older man's words. It made sense. He'd had a long hard life and deserved a bit of happiness. Noodle knew him inside and out and yet she still wanted him. Would it really be so hard to accept that? Was he such a masochist that he couldn't allow himself this one guilty pleasure? It wasn't like with the groupies after their concerts. He would never allow this to be some one night stand. It would have to be a real relationship.

Suddenly, the blue hair man nodded. His decision was made. And just like that, the stress seemed to melt away from his features and a relieved grin spread onto his face as he stubbed out his cigarette onto the already stained carpet. "Fanks, Murdoc!"

"Tha's wha' friends are for," he grunted, finding a bottle of crown that had been lying on the floor. He dusted it off and took a swig, relishing in the burn as the amber liquid slid down his esophagus. He offered some to 2D who took it and made a pained face as it went down. " _Now!_ When do I ge' to meet this mystery bird?"

The singer laughed heartily at the question and smirked, "No' anytime soon, _ol' man!_ "

"Imma getcha' one fer tha', ya' twat!" Murdoc exclaimed, bapping him upside the head good naturedly. They stayed up the whole night reminiscing until they passed out in the wee hours of the morning.

* * *

 **A/N:** I've been looking forward to this chapter more than I should lol. I don't know if I'm very good at portraying Murdoc, but I love the idea of him and 2D looking back at certain things and laughing because they've duped the audience. I also like the idea of Murdoc calling him Tusspot just to piss him off even though he knows that's not his last name anymore.

Their greeting to each other in this one was very specific. I was reading an interview that was released a few days ago about how Jamie and Damon started talking to each other again and Jamie was talking about how they hadn't talked in three years until they'd ran into each other at a mutual friend's party. He'd recounted how he saw Damon and thought to himself 'I bet he's going to say "Hi Poof."' And then Damon came up and said exactly that and he replied, "Hi, Damon." I thought it would be funny if 2D and Muds were like that.

I figured it would make perfect sense for 2D to ask Muds for advice on something like this because I felt like he was the only one that might be able to sway 2D's morality because of the blind trust he always seems to give their leader.

More Noodle and 2D next chapter!

Now for the important decision: To Lemon or not to lemon? That is the question of the day!

Hope you enjoyed!


	8. Chapter 8

**She's My Collar**

 _By: KKM_

Disclaimer: I do not own the Gorillaz or any related characters/songs. Gorillaz are © Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett.

* * *

 **Last Time:**

 _Suddenly, the blue hair man nodded. His decision was made. And just like that, the stress seemed to melt away from his features and a relieved grin spread onto his face as he stubbed out his cigarette onto the already stained carpet. "Fanks, Murdoc!"_

 _"Tha's wha' friends are for," he grunted, finding a bottle of crown that had been lying on the floor. He dusted it off and took a swig, relishing in the burn as the amber liquid slid down his esophagus. He offered some to 2D who took it and made a pained face as it went down. "Now! When do I ge' to meet this mystery bird?"_

 _The singer laughed heartily at the question and smirked, "No' anytime soon, old man!"_

 _"Imma getcha' one fer tha', ya' twat!" Murdoc exclaimed, bapping him upside the head good naturedly. They stayed up the whole night reminiscing until they passed out in the wee hours of the morning._

* * *

 **A/N:** **Caution** This chapter does contain a **light** lemon. It's only a couple of paragraphs, not the whole chapter, so if it makes you feel uncomfortable, just skip that part. I tried not to go into much detail with it.

* * *

 **Chapter 8: Submission**

Noodle bit her lip anxiously as she crept through the dark halls of the house dressed only in her night clothes – a pair of black short-shorts and 2D's old shirts. Every once in a while, she would accidentally find a warped board and freeze in place as she listened to the near silent creaks of the house settling. Once satisfied that no one had heard her, she would then continue forward trying to be as careful as possible. It was a little after two in the morning and she knew that most of the occupants of the house would be asleep by now. Russel had taken to going to bed around eleven these days and she assumed that Murdoc would be passed out in his Winnie. 2D was the only one who was normally up at this time of night. His insomnia usually prevented him from resting more than a couple of hours at a time. He'd most likely either be awake staring aimlessly at the ceiling or trying to prepare for a medicine-induced mini-coma to try and force himself to sleep. She was hoping for the former.

It had been a couple of days since their kiss and the blue-haired man had been purposely making himself scarce. While she understood why he was doing it, she couldn't help but feel a little hurt. His harsh words still rang clear in her mind only to be overpowered once again with the memory of that heated kiss. She still couldn't believe how he'd crushed his lips to hers just as hungrily as she had to him. It had been perfect! Her chest felt warm and tingly just thinking about it. But then when he'd been so horrified and distraught afterwards… Well, on one side she was glad that she had started to blur his barriers but on the other, she was worried that maybe she'd went a little too far in her plight to unhinge him.

But the more she thought about it, the more she needed to know what he was feeling. She felt that now that he'd kissed her again, that he had basically acknowledged that he too felt something more than bandmates or siblings should. She just needed to find a way to make him see that she was a woman and not a little girl anymore. That was her goal tonight. She needed to get him to talk to her again and try to per sway him that everything would be okay if he'd just let go of his reservations.

It felt almost too soon that she'd found herself paused in front of his door. She almost felt intimidated by the offending object that was keeping her from her love, but she refused to come all this way for nothing. She took a deep breath and calmly reached out and grasped the knob. It twisted firmly in her grip without issue as she gave the door a gentle push and peeked inside.

The room was completely dark, but her eyes had already adjusted from her journey through the dark halls. She could make out the outline of his long lanky figure on top of his bed. He didn't look like he was asleep from what she could tell. He was sitting up with his knees bent so that he could rest his elbows on them and his hands were tangled into his hair as he appeared to either be suffering a very intense migraine or perhaps was in deep thought. He made no move to acknowledge that he'd heard the door open or that he knew that he had any company. She cocked her head to the side before slipping through the threshold with a curious look on her face as she approached him.

Meanwhile 2D was too enthralled with trying to get his thoughts together to notice he was no longer alone. His conversation with Murdoc the night before kept running through his mind. He now knew what he wanted and he had every full intention of telling Noodle that he had changed his mind, but he wasn't sure how to approach her. He had left her at such a high-energy awkward moment that he wasn't even sure she'd want to see him after what he'd said.

The bed lurched suddenly and his head flicked up from his hands in a startled fashion; his black eyes blending into the room to make him look somewhat like a pale zombie in the night. He let out a breath he hadn't even realized he'd been holding when he realized who was crawling onto his bed. He was so focused on her face that he barely registered as she crawled up toward him and pushed his legs and arms apart so that she could gently rest against his chest. As if on auto-pilot, his body reacted before his mind and he'd wrapped his long limbs around her protectively pulling her closer to him. They stayed silent a moment, simply enjoying the feel of each other's embrace not having realized just how much they'd missed each other.

"I'm sorry," Noodle said after a while, her whisper seeming amplified in the silence. He tightened his hold on her subconsciously as she continued to speak in the silence. "I shouldn't have acted how I did in the club," she admitted, nuzzling his chest into his soothing Butterscotch scent as she dared to be forgiven. "You were right."

"Bu' I wosn't," he surprised her by responding. She felt one of his large warm hands against her cheek and she looked up toward his endless eyes that seemed to be riddled with anxiety and worry. "I said some 'orrible fings to yeh, love. You didn' deserve tha'." He stroked her cheek and sighed, looking away as if he was having a difficult time putting his words together due to his shame. "I shoulda' neva' treated you tha' way."

A small smile passed over Noodle's lips as she lifted herself up a little and leaned up closer to his face. The reaction was immediate that he gasped quietly and faced her again. Their faces were inches apart now and they could feel each other's breath on their faces. "Toochi, you don't need to apologize. I forgive you," she told him simply as they gazed into each other's eyes as if hypnotized.

"I talked teh Muds 'bout it," he said absently as if he didn't really realize he was speaking out loud. His voice held a strange dream-like quality to it. "he didn' know it wos _you_ o'course, but 'e had some goo' advice."

"Did he?" she asked, fairly curious as to what their dear leader had to say about it and what exactly it had to do with now. But something was compelling her to close her mouth and listen. Somehow she felt that it would help him cope with his feelings.

"Yeah, he said tha' if I wanted somefing, I shoul' go fer it wif no regrets," he said softly, his words penetrating her mind as she froze in his embrace. He couldn't possibly be saying what she thought he was saying, was he?

"And what is it that you want, Stu?" she asked him breathlessly hoping beyond hope that she was reading him right.

"I want _you_ ," he said, his voice a little hoarse due to never having admitted this out loud to her before. He felt light a weight was being lifted from his chest. But Noodle however needed more than that. She wanted to be sure that he was on the same page as her as she leaned up so close to him that their noses were nearly touching.

"Stu, will you let me love you?" she asked him in a throaty whisper, licking her lips as her eyes traveled down to his lips.

"I will," he whispered with conviction as his fingers ghosted over her back. "I'm _yours_ ," he promised before closing his eyes as if awaiting her kiss. But she surprised him as instead of feeling her lips against his, he felt her gently butterfly kisses over each of his bruised eyelids and then his nose before trailing down his jaw. He relaxed under her light kisses and hummed pleasantly when her lips finally touched his.

Noodle sighed into the kiss as she took her time enjoying this. It was so much different feeling from last time they'd done this. Last time had been feral, rough, and angry even. But this time, their touches were gentle, loving, and precise. Her heart was pounding hard in her chest causing a warmth to flow through her and she could feel the happy jolt in her mind as happiness at his acceptance coursed through her. She felt his tongue prodding against the entrance of her mouth and opened up to him, allowing him to tease her as he gently sucked on her tender muscle.

He shifted under her slightly, feeling his body grow warm with love and desire but he made no moves this time to remove her. He wanted to show her that he was serious and he knew that if he pushed her away now, he might never be able to prove how much he trusted her and wanted this to work. So instead he tilted his head slightly to deepen their kiss and groaned against her mouth as he surrendered to his need for her comfort and touch.

Noodle understood what she was doing to him and he was affecting her just as much. A shudder ran down her spine when he groaned and his large hands against her back felt hot against her clothed skin. She pulled away from him slightly causing him to make a sound of protest, but she simply smiled and placed a finger to his lips which he greeted with a sweet kiss. She lifted herself a little so that she could reach down between them, running her hand over the lump that was forming under his pajama bottoms. When he realized what she was doing he let out a moan and placed his hands on her hips.

"B-But Noodle what about..." he trailed off, panting a little.

"Do you trust me?" she asked, her fingers, toying with the button that would free him from his flannel prison. Noodle was no virgin. Even with her almost-encounter with abuse, she hadn't ever limited herself when it came to knowing her body. There was no possible way to stay innocent in a house occupied by three males. She'd walked in on each of them at some point in her life and later on after shows she had went on to experiment herself. She wanted this moment however to be special. She knew that if he let her, she could prove to him that she was fully capable of taking care of him and she had no doubts in her mind that he could do the same for her.

"Yes, of course… _Nghn!_ " he drew in a quick breath of air as she swiftly reached in and gently guided his stiff member out.

"Good," she whispered as she moved one of her shorts legs and panties to the side and carefully slid down onto him with a hiss. "It is not enough to tell you I love you, I want to show you," she told him as she gently rocked her hips. She had purposely stayed dressed to do this. It wasn't about being naked or meaningless sex, she wanted him to remember this as their first time simply making each other feel good. She continued rocking her hips slightly as she leaned forward to lock eyes with his hazy out of focus ones, memorizing the way his forehead had started to bead with sweat and how his facial expressions were unable to hide how much he was enjoying this.

2D had no words to express how powerful she looked to him right then. There she was, his Asian goddess who had somehow worked her way into his mind and heart as she pleasured herself on top of him. He didn't need to see under her clothes to know that she was beautiful, in fact it was much more arousing see her like this in his old top as she was. The way she was staring at him with her smoldering emerald eyes and pinked cheeks made him feel like he was melting on the spot. But when she let out a small breathless moan, he could barely control himself as his shaky hands pulled her forwards and their lips melded together in another searing passionate kiss.

Their hips moved together slow and passionate as they focused solely on each other. Soon a pressure began to build at a slow, but excruciating rate and 2D found that he could no longer control himself as he flipped them over and took control thrusting until they'd both reached completion. He rested their sweaty foreheads together a moment as he struggled to catch his breath. He could feel her small chest rising and falling just as quickly under him. As he looked down at her angelic face, he decided against sullying the moment with words and instead leaned down brushing his lips against hers again before rolling off of her and pulling her close to his side.

She gave a small sigh and buried herself snuggly against him while she tangled her legs with his. It didn't take long before they both fell asleep with small smiles on their faces. The night had been perfect together and not even 2D insomnia could withstand the calming comfort he took in her presence as their breaths evened out and they surrendered to their happy dreams of each other.

The next morning 2D was the first to wake. He felt surprisingly well rested as he looked down at Noodle's sleeping face and smiled. He reached over and gently tucked one of her stray dark lavender strands behind her ear. Her nose twitched a little and she groaned, not wanting to wake just yet, but she could feel his fingers starting to toy with her hair like he sometimes tended to do. Her eyes cracked open a bit to be greeted by his happy face.

"'Mornin'," he whispered, watching as his smile became infectious and she grinned back up at him.

"Hi," she replied sleepily leaning up to steal a quick kiss before resting her head back down against his chest again.

"I almost though' last ni' was a dream," he admitted as he continued to run his fingers through her soft stands. He'd always loved her hair. "M'glad it wasn't."

"Me too," she mumbled against his chest. Somewhere else in the house they heard a loud thump symbolizing that Russel had just gotten up. A short while later they could hear the sounds of running water from the shower upstairs. "I guess I should go back to my room before Otosan notices I'm gone," she said, however she made no move to get up and instead snuggled closer to him.

He let out a small laugh, finding her stubbornness to be absolutely adorable. "C'mon, lil love," he said, prodding her sides causing her to giggle. "I dun want you to go neither, bu' we both know Russ can' catch yeh here," he reasoned. He watched in amusement as she groaned and then slowly extracted herself from him.

"Fine, but only because I wish for you to live," she said with a grumpy pout. He shook his head and helped her up before walking her to the door.

"No worries, love. We can always hang out later," he promised pulling her into a warm embrace. She eagerly hugged him back, slumping against him a little to the point he almost thought she was about to fall asleep again until she looked up at him with a curiously serious look in her face.

"Did you mean everything you said last night?" she asked. Last night she had felt very confident, but now that it was morning, she just wanted the reassurance. She watched as he looked confused a moment before leaning down to kiss her sweetly.

"I meant it," he swore. "I wouldn't 'ave let things go tha' far if I didn't. You mean too much to me," he paused a moment as he built up his courage a moment. "I've thought alot 'bout wha' you said in teh recor' room," he started, thinking over everything that had happened to them recently. They'd known each other such a long time, he didn't really have any reservations telling her the truth now that he'd accepted it. "I love yeh too."

She looked up at him with wide eyes and squeaked as she stole another kiss from him and grinned widely before exiting his room with a hop in her step. He stayed there and listened to her footsteps as she walked away only to bump into Russel who by now must've been done with his shower. He heard her greet him cheerily before their voices faded down the hall. His smile faded a little at the thought of Russel. What would he say if he found out his baby girl had just came from his friend's room? He shuddered at the thought.

Yes, 2D was comfortable and had accepted that he did indeed love Noodle, but he wasn't sure he'd ever be ready to tell the others. This caused his stomach to do an unpleasant flop as he slunk over to his bed to ponder his newest dilemma: How were they going to keep this a secret?

* * *

 **A/N:** Hiiiiii! This chapter was kinda stressful for me because as you know, I had to decide on if I was going to do a lemon or not. My whole thing is that I want to keep this as real as possible, but I also don't want to jeopardize the integrity of the story because it's just not the main focus. So I looked at everyone's comments and came up with what I think is a happy medium. Yes it's a lemon, but in my opinion it's a very soft lemon. I did not go into detail and left it more to the imagination since it was supposed to be more passionate than anything. Hopefully I didn't upset anyone with it. I really do appreciate your opinions on the matter as it really helped me decide on how to write it. Please let me know what you think!

Next chapter will have more cute 2nu and You'll get to see how their interactions with Russ and Muds have been effected.


	9. Chapter 9

**She's My Collar**

 _By: KKM_

Disclaimer: I do not own the Gorillaz or any related characters/songs. Gorillaz are © Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett.

* * *

 **Last Time:**

 _She looked up at him with wide eyes and squeaked as she stole another kiss from him and grinned widely before exiting his room with a hop in her step. He stayed there and listened to her footsteps as she walked away only to bump into Russel who by now must've been done with his shower. He heard her greet him cheerily before their voices faded down the hall. His smile faded a little at the thought of Russel. What would he say if he found out his baby girl had just came from his friend's room? He shuddered at the thought._

 _Yes, 2D was comfortable and had accepted that he did indeed love Noodle, but he wasn't sure he'd ever be ready to tell the others. This caused his stomach to do an unpleasant flop as he slunk over to his bed to ponder his newest dilemma: How were they going to keep this a secret?_

* * *

 **Chapter 9: Charger**

They were in the cupcake phase. That awesome feeling you get when you're new to a relationship and you want nothing more than to be with that other person every waking moment of the day. When no one was looking, they'd make eyes at each other from across the table. No matter who was home they'd find ways to kidnap each other whether it was a quick make-out in the broom closet or a quick romp in the laundry room. Sometimes they'd text each other when the coast was clear, but most of the time they left it to fate as they'd play their little game of cat and mouse.

No one was the wiser. Murdoc knew that 2D was in a relationship with _someone_. From the way the singer was constantly smiling and always in a good mood, he figured that the younger man had took his advice and went for it. He still hadn't met the lass yet, but this was the happiest he'd seen his friend in a long time so he didn't push the subject so long as it wasn't becoming an issue that would affect the band. As far as Noodle, disappearing for hours at a time was quite normal. She'd always been a very independent woman and they all knew that she was more than capable of taking care of herself.

For now, their secret was safe.

A few weeks later Russel found himself whistling to himself as he meandered down the hallway. He too had started to notice his friend's new found happiness and had every intention of finding out more about 2D's secret new girlfriend. He'd questioned Muds about it, but the older man had simply shrugged and told him that he knew as little as the drummer did about her before belching loudly and heading to the kitchen for more beer. Russel had shook his head in disgust before smiling to himself and deciding to pay the singer a visit. If there was one thing Russel loved, it was talking about the honeys.

Pausing outside of the bedroom door, he rose his beefy fist and knocked twice. "Yo, D! I hear you gots some news fo' me, you ol' dawg!" He shouted cheerily through the door before stepping back a respectable distance to wait.

There was a frazzled squeak from the other side of the door before he heard something crash. Then he heard the sounds of 2D mumbling to himself as he seemed to be struggling to do something (probably getting dressed, Russel mused – it was kind of early…). Then the door opened a crack as the tall lanky man quickly darted out and kicked the door shut behind him before Russel could look inside.

"H-hi, Russ," 2D gulped, biting his lip a bit as he leaned back against the bedroom door as if he'd just escaped a dragon. Russel's milky white eyes passed over him taking in the other man's obvious anxiety as he trembled a little, some perspiration building on his forehead. Nothing out of the normal really. 2D was one weird cracker.

"Sup, my man?" Russel said good-naturedly as he quickly grabbed the nervous man by his shoulder and pulled him in for a surprise-noogie. 2D let out a help of horror as he tried to escape, flailing around helplessly. "Das whatchu get fo' hidin shit from me, maaan," Russel chuckled, watching as his friend's skin turned an unhealthy shade of gray. He released him and laughed, patting him merrily on his back causing 2D to stumble forward a bit. "Why didn' you tell me you hadda' hot new piece of ass? I had to find out from Muds!"

"Wait, wot-?" 2D asked slowly as he tried to catch his breath. His eyes looking blankly at the other man as he dared to believe that he was about to escape this situation unscathed.

"Yo new gurlfriend!" Russ exclaimed, smacking him upside the back of his head as if to jog his memory. "Well, out with it! Where'd you meet her? Is she fiiiiine?"

It suddenly occurred to 2D that Russ had no idea who his 'secret gurlfriend' was and he nearly sighed in relief. Instead he gave a big dopy grin and played along. "Yeah, she's 'ot," he said simply as he reached up to comb his now extra messy hair back from his face. In doing so, he accidentally revealed a fresh hickey that was right below his ear.

"Daaaaaamn, man! Tha's what I'm talkin' about!" Russ laughed as he reached out and poked the love bite just to be an ass. 2D hissed as he slapped his hand against the offending bruise and his cheeks flushed pink at being caught. "Soooooo, when do we get to meet this mystery woman?"

" _Hah!_ G oo' luck wi' that one, Lards," Murdoc belted as he rounded the corner to join them and wrapped his arm around 2D's other side so that they had him trapped between them as they continued down the hall. 2D sniffed the air a second and nearly gagged as he tried unsuccessfully to duck away from the green man's armpit. "I tried teh get this cunt teh tell me ova a week ago. Wouldn't tell meh shit!"

"And who would blame him," Russel muttered, rolling his glowing eyes sarcastically – not that anyone noticed. He winced as Murdoc leaned closer to 2D ignoring his protests and kicked him from behind.

"I heard that, fat ass!"

"Oh heeeeeeell naw," Russ glared as he started to give the older man what is commonly known as the evil eye. 2D saw this and blanched before somehow wrenching himself from their grips. He was _not_ about to let them forget he was there before they started horsing around. Last time that happened he'd been out for over six hours after Russ had accidentally punched him when Murdoc had gotten in a lucky dodge. Murdoc had found it hilarious; 2D not so much.

"Now, now," 2D giggled nervously as he backed away from them. "Yeah, I do hava' girlfwiend but I'm no' ready to bring'er ova yet."

"S'cool man," Russel replied easily, leaning against the wall before glaring at Muds from the side. "Probably fo' the best with this moldy cracka' around."

"Wot tha' fuck!?" Muds scowled, obviously offended. He looked back at 2D with furrowed brows. "I'm not gonna' do nothin' if that's wot yer all worried 'bout. You don't believe tha' shit do yeh, Dents?"

2D struggled to find something to say without sounding too self-incriminating. It wasn't that he was worried that Murdoc would try to steal her. Quite the opposite, really. He was more concerned with the ass-beating that would occur after he found out. "Naaah, that's no' it." He replied. However the damage had already been done. He'd taken too long to answer.

Murdoc's face turned red with a strange combination of shame, embarrassment, and anger as he looked between the two. "I told you twats tha' would neva' happen again and I meant it, damn it!" he shouted at them before turning heel and stomping down the stairwell. Russel looked fairly unimpressed by the display, but 2D was horrified.

"Muds, wait!" 2D called after him, and was about to follow when one of Russ's strong hands grabbed his shirt stopping him from behind.

"Let him go, D," Russel warned, leaning away from the wall and crossing his arms. "If you bug him now with him bein' this agitated, you know you'll regret it." The bigger man's expression softened a little when he saw the worried expression on the blue haired man's face. "He'll be okay. It's Muds, he'll get over it.

"Yeah," Stu said slowly, still frowning as he listened to the door slam signaling the Satanist's dramatic exit. He remained there long after Russ had patted him on the shoulder and took his leave simply wondering how many times he'd hurt his friends the longer they'd keep this a secret. However, like most things, the thought left soon after and he continued on with his day.

The next night, 2D had planned a special date for Noodle. He'd cleaned up the old record room they'd found in the attic and set up a candlelit dinner on the old beat-up coffee table. They had enjoyed a light dinner of vegetable stir-fried ramen and some ohagi for dessert while listening to some of their favorite tunes. After that, they'd carefully climbed out the window so that they could enjoy the rest of their night on the roof.

Currently, they were both laid back looking up at the starry night. 2D was calmly smoking a cigarette as his other arm draped comfortably around Noodle who was resting against his chest with an indulgent smile on her face.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" she asked in a dreamy voice. It was rare to have a night with so few clouds in the usually dull English sky. Normally the gray overcast seemed to swallow up any natural beauty hidden beyond the horizon like a thick bowl of mushroom soup. But tonight the stars seem to glitter as far as the eye could see and the darkness of space seemed to glow with a pleasant rippling effect. The moon was the final and most prominent piece of the tapestry as it glowed brightly in full crescent.

"Hm?" 2D hummed, caught off guard by the sudden question. In all honesty, his eyesight was so poor that he really couldn't see the tiny details the cosmos had granted them with. If he narrowed his eyes just right he could see the brightest of the little white dots that were peppering the sky, but otherwise it all just looked dark with random smears of light to his damaged corneas. "Yeah, S'lovely," he replied after a while, blowing out a thick cloud of smoke before opting to look down at her beautiful carefree face instead.

She seemed to feel his gaze on her because she shifted her face upwards so that she could see him better and giggled. "Thanks for tonight, Stu," she said sweetly as she stretched her neck up and lightly kissed his jaw. Long after her lips had left, he could still feel the tingling current humming pleasantly in his mind.

"It wos nothin' really," he said, his cheeks turning a little pink from her praise. Then his expression clouded over a little and he looked away making her frown a little in concern.

"Toochi?" she asked, leaning up so that she was partially sitting as he continued looking away from her. "What is it?"

"S'nuffin' really," he repeated again, before his brows furrowed realizing that he'd already said that only in a different context. Sighing he finally met her eyes looking slightly disgruntled. "S'jus that I wish I coul' take yeh somewhere nice li' you deserve. I dun feel li' I'm doin' enough for you," he admitted quietly as he tossed the remains of his cigarette over the edge with a grunt.

Noodle offered him a sad smile in response. She knew the whole situation was bothering him more than he cared to admit. He wasn't used to having to hide things like she was. He wasn't used to not being able to do what he wanted without a care. It was beginning to wear on him, she could tell. "But I like our secret little dates," she said, trying to distract him as she ghosted her fingers over his chest. She could feel him stiffen a groan beneath her ministrations as he was fairly sensitive to touch she'd learned. However, before she could go much farther one of his large warm hands had captured her smaller one in a firm yet gentle grasp.

"I like 'em too, but I wish I coul' do more," he said simply. "Bu' I know I can't because Russ and Muds woul' neva allow this." She silently agreed with him as she rested her head against him again and shivered pleasantly as he started to run his fingers through her hair soothingly. "I 'ate lyin' teh them. Muds especially. I fink I really hurt 'em earlier when I wosn't able to tell 'em why I didn' want you near 'em. He finks I fink that he'll try teh sleep wif you like 'e did wif _Paula_ ," he practically spat the name. He hated anything that reminded him of her. He'd been so stupid back then… but that was neither here nor there. He sighed as he tried to clear his mind of the subject.

"He'll understand someday," she promised with a sigh of her own. She hated to see him so tormented by this. "Who knows, maybe if we told them I might not be as bad as you think. We could be completely wrong," she suggested, though even she could admit it was a weak argument. His silence told her that he also didn't think it was a good idea either. She scooted up a little bit so that she could lay level with him and leaned so close that it nearly gave her double vision as she looked into his large gazeless eyes. Up this close she could almost make out where his pupils should have been, but she couldn't tell for certain. "I don't want to lose this," she said before closing her eyes and pressing her lips against his in a meaningful kiss.

He didn't respond at first, but then his mind caught up to what was happening and he quickly closed his eyes and deepened it. His mind was growing fuzzy again and her lips seemed to be the only thing anchoring him to the moment. It was times like this when he reflected on just how much he loved and needed her. She was his rock; his voice of reason. The electric shock of her love felt like a lifeline rocketing through his body and soul. He wanted nothing more to meld into her loving embrace and forget all of his problems and worries, but that damn buzzing at the back of his mind just wouldn't leave him alone.

"Let's not let it ruin our night," he felt her mumble against his lips as he pulled her closer to him. "I still haven't given you a proper thank you and we were rudely interrupted yesterday, after all," she hissed in that seductive little voice of hers as she slowly began to move downwards.

That night the Murdoc looked out of the window of his Winnebago in confusion. He could have sworn he'd heard a howling somewhere in the darkness. He looked over at the several empty bottles scattered around his living space. Perhaps it was time to lay off the rum again. He shrugged and made for the vodka instead with a clever grin.

* * *

 **A/N:** Hello again! Thank you for all of the nice reviews I've been getting. I really appreciate it! Hope you enjoyed this chapter because things are about to get rocky for our secret pair!


	10. Chapter 10

**She's My Collar**

 _By: KKM_

Disclaimer: I do not own the Gorillaz or any related characters/songs. Gorillaz are © Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett.

* * *

 **Last Time:**

" _Let's not let it ruin our night," he felt her mumble against his lips as he pulled her closer to him. "I still haven't given you a proper thank you and we were rudely interrupted yesterday, after all," she hissed in that seductive little voice of hers as she slowly began to move downwards._

 _That night the Murdoc looked out of the window of his Winnebago in confusion. He could have sworn he'd heard a howling somewhere in the darkness. He looked over at the several empty bottles scattered around his living space. Perhaps it was time to lay off the rum again. He shrugged and made for the vodka instead with a clever grin._

* * *

 **Chapter 10: The Apprentice**

2D gave a small groan of pain as he hobbled toward the kitchen. After catching up with Murdoc last night, he'd decided against going back to the warmth of Noddle's bed. He knew that because of his injuries she probably wouldn't have joined him and then he'd have felt bad about displacing her after such a stressful night. However his talk with Muds had lightened his spirits a little. While he didn't think the older man was fully on board, he had at least tried to give the singer the benefit of the doubt. He'd appreciated how casual Murdoc had tried to be as they talked on the porch last night. It gave him the confidence boost he needed to face Russel.

The sweet smell of pancakes tickled at his nose alerting him that the bigger man was already up. He paused in front of the door and took a long shaky breath before gently pushing it open with one of his large gangly hands. He let out a small sigh of relief when he realized that Russel's back was to him giving him a few moments to gather his wits as he quietly sat in his usual seat at the table fidgeting worriedly as he waited for the other man to take notice.

And notice he did.

Russel turned around with a big stack of pancakes and then paused dead in his tracks as his blank eyes took in the singer's bruised and battered appearance. He shifted his weight on his feet awkwardly a moment as if mentally weighing his options and then nodded to himself before walking toward him and placing the food on the table. Instead of tidying up like he normally would have before eating, he went ahead and sat down across from the other man watching as 2D's eyebrows scrunched up in anxious confusion.

"Look, D-Dawg I'm sorry man," he apologized sincerely, cringing as he took in all the cuts and bruises. His friend's already damaged eyes looked even more swollen and pitiful than they had last night. Russel had always liked 2D and had never really enjoyed seeing the fragile man in harm's way. "I don't pretend to like or even _understand_ how the hell this all happened, but I admit I prolly reacted a lot worse than I could've. Noddle-gurl told me all 'bout how you tried to do the right thing fo' her and I appreciate that n'shit but she's still my little gurl. You know?" he tried to explain.

2D gave a small sniffle (his nose wouldn't stop running now that it was so swollen) and tried to offer Russel what he hoped was a very serious look. "I'd neva 'urt her," he promised. "I love her an' I'd do anyfing for her," he promised. Then he swallowed with a nervous frown and sighed. "I'm sorry too, Russ. Neva' did li' lying to either of you. I jus' didn' know wot teh do. But at leas' it's all out in tha' open now."

"Yeah, man. Better this way than if we'd actually caught you," he said with a snort as he started doling out pancakes to each plate. "Then I'd have had ta' kill you," he smirked in a low voice. 2D eeped a bit, but then let out a laugh when he saw the amused look on the drummer's face. The other man was only taking a piss at him, however 2D was smart enough to realize that there was some truth behind his words. It could have all been a _lot_ worse than it had been.

A few minutes later they were joined by Noodle and Murdoc. If they'd been surprised by the relative peace at the table, they didn't mention it. It seemed like both parties were more interested in trying to pretend that everything was normal. However, eventually when they'd all had their fill and everyone was sitting around the table in awkward silence, they realized they'd have to broach the subject once again.

Russel was the first to break the silence as he looked between the two pensively and set down his silverware with purpose as he verbally muddled through his thoughts. "I get how you all got togther, but one thing's been botherin' me," he admitted, pursing his lips. "Last night, Noods mentioned that while this was the _first_ time you guys were together, it wasn't the _last_ time. Soooo, did something happen? Did you guys have a falling out at some point?"

Murdoc gave Russel a sideways glance as he thoughtfully gnawed on a toothpick he'd found in his pants pocket. This same question had been rattling around in his mind too. His interested in the subject was further pipped as he returned his gaze to the couple across from him. Noodle had become pale and her hand was shaking slightly on the table top as she looked anywhere but at the three of them. Dents wasn't much better as his complexion had turned slightly green and he was giving his love a concerned look. Finally the tall man seemed to mentally say 'fuck it,' and covered her trembling hand with his whether they approved or not.

"Love, we 'ave to tell 'em. We promised," he whispered, trying to keep the conversation somewhat private. However the point was moot as everyone at the table could clearly hear him. "It'll be alright, they'll forgive you."

Her head snapped up at that giving him a look of sheer disbelief, but she hadn't taken her hand away like he thought she might. "They will be disappointed," she replied stiffly, also seeming keen to ignore their two companions. "I don't like remembering this part…" she trailed off, looking somewhat forlorn.

2D's eyes softened and he offered her a small smile of comfort before raising the back of her hand to his lips and offering a comforting kiss. "It'll be okay," he promised.

"Oh, fer fuck's sake. Jus' tell us already!" Murdoc interrupted impatiently, making them both jump. He was giving them both a decidedly sour expression as he continued. "This innit one o'those damn soap operas. We don' need all tha' mushy shit right afta' breakfast."

"Fine, fine!" Noodle ground out through gritted teeth as she eyes the older man in annoyance. "If you want to know so bad, we'll tell you. But don't say I didn't warn you that it was bad."

"Jus' get on wit it!" he replied rolling his multicolored eyes sarcastically. Russel stayed the silent spectator, watching each of them carefully.

2D couldn't take the heaviness of the room any loner and timidly cleared his throat. Once everyone's attention suddenly darted to him, he gave a nervous laugh that did nothing to disperse the growing tension. "Well, eh, you see. Fings weren't goin' quite teh way we'd hoped…"

* * *

2D gave a groan of frustration as he threw yet another wad of paper at the overflowing waste basket at the edge of his room. He was sitting at his warn out desk with half a dozen papers surrounding him with nonsensical lyrics all strung about. The wooden pencil he was tapping against the surface in agitation had seen better days. There were bite marks on the yellow painted wood in various areas and the eraser was but a smudged pink memory at the abused utensil's top.

He'd been at this for hours trying to write a song that was just barely at the tip of his conscious but to no avail. The words just would not come. He was too distracted and put out to fully put his hear into it. He sighed in defeat and pulled his phone out gazing into the light radiating from the small screen.

No new messages.

Typical really. The past few weeks he'd been getting fewer and fewer texts from his little love. She never really even called him much anymore. At first things had been going great. They'd had fun with their secret little dates and meet-ups. But then, like he'd feared, things had begun to change. The longer their charade went on, the more paranoid he'd become that the others would find out and in turn she'd grow annoyed with him to the point where she could barely stand to be in the same room with him.

They'd text each other little messages throughout the day. A cordial greeting was common. Sometimes it was just a bunch of loving nonsense. It almost always would include a time and a place to meet up and spend time together. But it wasn't really enough for either of them. They were slowly dying and they knew it, but neither wanted to admit it.

Last night they'd fought about it. It hadn't gone well at all. He'd told her that she was being childish and unrealistic. She'd called him insecure and told him that he needed to grow a pair. Then she'd stormed away from him and he hadn't heard from her since. He'd tried texting her plenty; empty words followed by even emptier promises. He knew that even after they'd make up, they'd only fight about it again later. He knew it would be no use to call her. He doubted she'd answer him anyway.

 _'I send a message, never call_ her _,'_ he scribbled down on one of the tattered pieces of paper, then sighed in melancholy as he rested his cheek against the dirty surface of his desk in defeat. Would it always be like this? Would they always be at each other's throats? He loved her so much and would do anything for her, but it wasn't easy to purposely lie to his friends. She was always so closed off and unaffected by it. That just wasn't who he was. He was a worrier by nature.

With his body still hunched over the desk, he pulled his phone out one more time and began to type again listlessly. _'Plz ansr me, luv. Im sry about yesterday. I din mean it.'_

Send.

Now all he could do was wait.

Outside the house, Noodle grunted in annoyance as her phone chimed again. She pulled it out for a moment and sighed. Six unread messages from Stu. As much as she loved him, he could be so dramatic. She rolled her eyes and responded quickly before pocketing her phone. _'K. Apology accepted. Busy now ttyl.'_

She was currently stalking outside of Murdoc's Winnebago. She circled it once, satisfied that no rocking had occurred and no sounds could be heard before she chanced peeking into one of the grimy windows. As far as she could tell there was nothing but garbage and bottles in there. No Cortez and no Murdoc – _perfect._ Smirking to herself, she pulled out a hairpin and easily picked the lock before slipping inside.

She nearly gagged at the horrible smell, but that was to be expected. She shook her head and peered around trying to determine where the Satanist might store his personals. Lately Murdoc had taken the annoying habit of using and breaking all of her guitar picks with those annoyingly sharp nails of his and regardless of what he had to say on the matter he was going to pay for it! She checked his closets but found nothing but cobwebs there. She looked under his bed and cringed when she only found a bunch of dirty magazines and some crusty old condoms. _Gross_.

She stood up straight with a frown and tapped her chin as she looked around thoughtfully. Her slanted eyes paused when she spotted a rather used looking old pair of Cuban heels in the corner. She tilted her head to the side as she studied them. Murdoc did not spend money on his wardrobe often. As far as she knew, he always wore the same pair of shoes and hadn't gotten any new ones since they'd moved here. He'd have no reason to keep a second pair. She smiled suddenly and approached the the old smelly hunks of leather with caution.

"Found you," she muttered in satisfaction as she shook one of them and a wad of cash fell out. But then her eye brows rose up in surprise as a small bag of white powder followed. "Well now, what are you?" she asked to herself as she grabbed the small bag and dangled it in front of her eyes for a better look.

If there was one thing that Noodle took after Murdoc on, it was her penchant for trouble. She knew exactly what those little crystals were. Over the years she'd found that she enjoyed a little mayhem in her life from time to time and being a star at such a young age meant that she had seen her fair share of drugs throughout her lifetime. Hell, her bandmates had never kept their lifestyles a secret. No matter how much they had tried to keep her from it, it had been no use. Like with most young people, she had snuck away at some point to try it all.

Noodle was older now though. It had been a long time since she'd felt the rush of being on cloud nine. To be honest, she'd thought she was mostly done with that kind of fun, but with how stressful things had been lately, she suddenly found that she needed a release. She glanced back at the wad of cash and vicariously tossed it all back into the boot before pocketing her new find and leaving the Winnebago in mostly the same condition she'd found it in.

She knew Murdoc would probably be mad when he'd find that it was missing but at the same time she couldn't find it in herself to care. A part of her even thought he might be a little proud of how she'd easily stolen from him like a champ. It was a weird twisted thought, but then so was the man who'd helped raise her.

Once safely back in her room, she took the small bag out of her pocket and safely hid it under a loose floorboard under her bed. She vaguely wondered if she should tell 2D about it, but then shrugged the thought away as she flopped onto her bed and stared up at the ceiling. The knowledge would probably just worry him more. No, she'd wait for the perfect time when no one would be bothered and she could escape to sweet serenity.

If only she knew then just how poor of a decision that would become.

* * *

 **A/N:** Hi, I'm back! Sorry about the delay. The next chapter will be extremely important to the story.

Fair warning, the next chapter will have drug use in it. For those of you that have listened to Humanz, you know that there are several mentions of cocaine usage so I felt that it was necessary to include it in here. As I'm sure you've noticed throughout this story I have tried to match the chapters with themes found in the CD as if the events that occurred inspired some parts of the songs. Some chapters have been more successful at that than others, but I will continue with this as planned.

I myself have never tried cocaine, but I will be researching it to make sure that the effects are realistic. So if you are someone who struggles with addiction, please be careful. I will try not to go into too much detail, but it will be enough so that there's no question as to what's going on. The next chapter will be _Sex Murder Party_.

By the way, congrats! You are now half way through the story! Whoo!


	11. Chapter 11

**She's My Collar**

 _By: KKM_

Disclaimer: I do not own the Gorillaz or any related characters/songs. Gorillaz are © Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett.

* * *

 **Last Time:**

 _She knew Murdoc would probably be mad when he'd find that it was missing but at the same time she couldn't find it in herself to care. A part of her even thought he might be a little proud of how she'd easily stolen from him like a champ. It was a weird twisted thought, but then so was the man who'd helped raise her._

 _Once safely back in her room, she took the small bag out of her pocket and safely hid it under a loose floorboard under her bed. She vaguely wondered if she should tell 2D about it, but then shrugged the thought away as she flopped onto her bed and stared up at the ceiling. The knowledge would probably just worry him more. No, she'd wait for the perfect time when no one would be bothered and she could escape to sweet serenity._

 _If only she knew then just how poor of a decision that would become._

* * *

 **Chapter 11: Sex Murder Party**

Noodle leaned against the rusty front rails of the _Spirit House_ in boredom as she waited outside to greet their guests. Every now and then she would thrust back a bit and try to balance on the balls of her heels before flopping back toward the bar. The action almost made her look like a teenager who was being forced to stay out on the porch rather than to enjoy the nice warm day. She supposed the imagery wasn't too far off. Though her younger years were far behind her, there were days where she felt energetic and rebellious. She was not the type of adult who cared much for acting her age as she felt that matching those particular stereotypes was a waste of life. She was who she was and that was that.

"Qui' fidgeting, would ya'?" a gruff voice croaked beside her. She sighed as she reluctantly released her grip on the rusty rail to stand silently with her bandmates. Murdoc was beside her smoking a cigarette with his mismatched eyes fixed pointedly on the road to their lonely cul-de-sac. 2D was standing on the opposite side of the green man staring off into the distance blankly as still as a statue. Somewhere behind them Noodle could hear Russel banging things around inside the house preparing it for when one of their features Benjamin Clementine would arrive.

She frowned slightly as her emerald eyes flicked back to over to the singer. She could tell that he'd medicated quite heavily this morning because he'd been in somewhat of a trance all morning. At breakfast he'd been so slow and lethargic, that she'd had to prod him several times to remind him that he was there to eat. She'd given up after he'd finally managed to finish a slice of toast. It wasn't really that abnormal for him to take an extra dosage on a recording day. In fact, some of his best work had been done when he was so stoned that only the flow of music made sense to his fogged over brain. Something about the melody had always resonated with him where others could not.

But Noodle was starting to really worry about him as of late.

Anymore she felt like he was hardly ever sober enough to spend any proper time with her. If she didn't know any better, she would think that he was doing it on purpose to slowly distance himself from her for some reason.

Not that she was behaving any better.

She felt a pang of sadness in her heart as she thought back to all of the fights and pointless arguments they had gotten into recently. Most of the time their fights weren't even over anything substantial. And yet, she found that no matter what they fought about she attacked him with a mean streak that was borderline cruel as if she was punishing him for things he couldn't control. He honestly knew that she loved him with all her heart and that he was her best friend in the whole world. But she couldn't help but feel guilty around him for causing him so to be under so much pressure. Guilt was something she was not accustomed through and in her shame she would find herself expressing it with misdirected anger. 2D was unfortunately an easy target sometimes. _Most_ of the time.

Maybe tomorrow when they were less busy she would ask him if he wanted to get away for a bit. Go to a park maybe and just hang out like old times. That way they could relax and just be themselves for a stolen moment of time.

"Ahhhhh, there they arrrrree," Murdoc interrupted her thoughts with that guttural hum of his as he tossed the remains of his cigarette into the yard carelessly and stood up straighter in an attempt to look presentable. If a man could look presentable in a torn striped shirt and rough looking jeans that had seen better days that was. But somehow he managed with a smirk as they watched a white van barreling down the street toward them. "Dents! Wake teh fuck up," he shouted, smacking 2D upside the back of the head. The taller man jumped with a start before staring back at him with a bewildered look that was promptly ignored. "Tha's betta'. You and Noods'll 'elp 'em unload all tha' shit ter tha' basement," he barked at them carelessly before stepping down from the porch to greet their guest with a greasy grin that would make any salesman proud.

"Benjamin, lad!" he greeted as soon as the man stepped out of the passenger side of the vehicle. Murdoc slung an arm over his shoulders before he could get a word in edgewise and practically dragged him to the house leaving his band mates to their own devices. Noodle could have sword Benjamin was giving their leader a terrified look before the door slammed shut behind them.

 _'Good luck with that,'_ Noodle thought to herself with a private giggle before tugging 2D by the sleeve toward the van with a sigh. "C'mon, Toochi. The sooner we get this over with, the better," she told him as they approached the small crew Benjamin had brought with him to unload his things.

It was a common occurrence for feature artists to lug their own equipment to the studio. In fact, it had become the golden rule as far as their leader was concerned. "Teh save money!" Murdoc would exclaim anytime he was questioned about it. "How tha' hell else didja' think we coul' afford a damn floatin' island?" He'd ask them. "Sure as 'ell couldn' if we wen' around all willy-nilly every time a new artist came aroun'!" It was a sound point of course considering that the band never seemed to stick to the conformities of one genre for very long. However, Noodle couldn't help but feel that the real wisdom behind his madness was that Murdoc was a true master at cutting-corners as a cheapskate extraordinaire. Either way, it always seemed to work out.

When Noodle and 2D reached the back of the van, two of Benjamin's men were already unloading the heavy boxes and sound systems from the caboose and a third was standing beside the open rear door with a clipboard in his hand. As if on autopilot, 2D wordlessly began to help. Noodle shook her head in amusement as she noticed he gravitated toward the smaller light weight looking boxes. Instead of helping immediately, she walked up to the man with the clipboard in an effort to stall for time.

"Hi, Muds sent us to help," she supplied boredly, hoping that maybe she could get them out of it somehow.

"That's not really necessary," the man replied absently before looking up at her and smiling suddenly. "Noodle! Long time, no see," he greeted, completely throwing her for a loop with his sudden warm expression. It was common for people to recognize them because they were famous, but this kid's demeanor had shifted as if he knew her on a more personal level.

"Uuuuuuhhh," she paused awkwardly taking in his appearance for clues as she racked her brain for a possible identity. He had vibrant naturally light auburn hair that spiked up at the top and was neatly trimmed on the sides. His bright blue eyes and light dusting of freckles made her think he was a bit younger than her. Definitely no older than twenty if she had to guess. He was taller than her by a full head and and had a slim, but slightly muscular build. _Nope._ Nothing seemed to ring a bell. She shook her head and smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry, do we know each other from somewhere?"

"No worries," he said good-naturedly. "I'm not surprised you don't recognize me. It's been a while." Then to her utter confusion, he cleared his throat and started singing softly as if he didn't want the others to hear.

 _"Need a guuuuun to keep m'self from haaaa'm,_

 _Tha' poor peeep'uuul are burnin' in tha' suuuuun._

 _Ain't got a chaaaaance,_

 _Ain't gotta' chaaaaance._

 _I need a guuuuuun,_

 _Cuz all I do is dance._

 _Cuz all I do is – daaaaaance."_

Noodle blinked up at him stupidly for a moment before grinning ear to ear in realization. " _Jordi?_ Little Jordi!?" She exclaimed, punching his shoulder a little harder than necessary for putting her on. "Last time I saw you, you had a finger up your nose!"

One of his teammates nearly dropped one of the heavy boxes he was lugging as he laughed out loud from her outburst. The redhead shot a quick glare at him as his cheeks turned slightly red. "You and everyone else," he muttered under his breath darkly before returning his attention back to her. "I go by Jordan now. How have you been?" he asked. Then Noodle could have imagined it, but she swore he quickly raked his eyes over her before smiling back at her in something almost akin to approval.

 _'Did he really just check me out in front of everyone?'_ she thought to herself incredulously, arching her brow. It wasn't as if she was wearing anything special. Just a black tank with the bloody _Watchmen_ smiley on the front, a pair of jean bermudas, and some scuffed up red sneakers. She quickly glanced around to see that 2D wasn't terribly far away. He was currently holding the door open for the other two crewmen who were carrying a heavy looking speaker system through the doorway. He didn't seem to be paying them any attention and appeared to be just as bored as she was with the whole affair. _'Well… maybe I imagined it. That would be pretty ballsy to do in front of any of the guys. I was probably seeing things. Plus, this kid seems pretty harmless,'_ she surmised. But still, she didn't really want to promote anything remotely like that. It made her very uncomfortable.

"Oh, you know. Doing this and that," she answered evasively, narrowing her eyes slightly before changing the subject altogether. "So, you all sticking around for the recording? I bet the boys would be pretty excited to say hi if you told them who you were."

"Well, honestly I don't like telling people about it. I mean it's a cool song and all, don't get me wrong. But I'd rather not have people staring at me while they imagine me picking my nose, if you know what I mean?" he joked, scratching the back of his head. She got the idea that it was somewhat of a sore topic with him and shrugged. "But yeah, it'd be fun to watch."

"Alright cool," she smiled, turning back towards the house. "Looks like they're done so let's go in."

The recording studio was located in the basement of their house. It was rather makeshift as far as state of the art studios go, but for the Gorillaz it was perfect. They could use all of the unconventional methods they desired to manipulate the various sounds and notes just as they pleased. First, on one side of the room they recorded all of the sounds and background vocals. Then once that was all finished, they moved to the other side of the room where Benjamin stood in front of a large screen with a bright light shining down on him as he sang. 2D stayed to the side with a special microphone for his parts and Noodle and Russel carefully maneuvered the shadow puppets they'd crafted in the background while Murdoc and the others watched. Murdoc was extremely into it as he mouthed the lyrics and nodded or shook his head as they came to certain parts.

They stopped a few times for short breaks or if the imagery didn't quite match up the way they wanted, but otherwise everything seemed to work out well. They were all super exhausted by the time they felt they'd finally gotten it to work and sound perfectly.

"That's a wrap, people!" Russel's voice boomed in a pleased manner as he stretched a bit causing his shoulder joints to pop.

"S'not all ova' yet, Lards," Murdoc retorted with a snort as he turned off the small camcorder that had been rolling the whole time. "We still gotta' talk business. Come along then. You too, Stu. Gotta make sure we cova' everything." With that, he led the way to his office. Noodle made a face and stayed behind. They'd probably be there for hours and Noodle had no interest in the contractual aspects of their music. Her heart went out for 2D as he glumly followed them into the room. There was no way Murdoc would let him skip out on this part. He knew how much the singer hated it of course, but business was business.

"Hey," she heard behind her and turned around to see Jordan standing behind her. It appeared that he had no interest in helping his comrades pack up, not that she blamed him.

"Don't you have a job to do?" she teased, only half joking.

"Nah, I'm their boss. Plus they won't miss me for a few minutes," he explained with a shrug. "I've got time. Got anything fun to do while we wait?"

Noodle observed him closely for a moment as if sizing him up, but he still appeared calm and open. She decided that he was just overly friendly. "Wellllllll," she paused, thinking a moment. This kid truly did appear harmless, maybe it wouldn't be too bad to loosen up a bit like she used to in the old days. The boys would be tied up for a while and it wasn't like she had anything better to do. "I might have something fun we can do. Ever been skating?" she asked, a mischievous glint in her eyes as she gauged his reaction.

He gave her a surprised look for a moment, before smirking back at her. "A time or two," he answered smoothly.

"Hm, well by all means lets have fun then," she said, leading him over to a door that lead to what they used as a dressing room. "They'll be forever in there anyway," she shrugged, deciding to just relax. The room as pretty spacious. On one side was a long wall length mirror with a countertop beneath it and some chairs. The rest of the room was strewn with various clothes and props that were either laying on the floor or hanging hap hazardously from the fixtures. They sat down in front of the mirror and stared at each other's reflections for a moment before Noodle began to dig around in her pockets, suddenly feeling awkward again.

"I, uh, had planned on doing this later tonight anyway. I just thought I'd be alone," she explained, feeling a little finicky as she removed the small baggie she'd stolen from her pocket and laid it on the counter top. Her hand was shaking a little as she poured a small bit out and used a nearby piece of paper to try and edge it into a line.

Jordan eyed her in amusement before finally taking pity on her and placing his hand over hers to stop her. "Noodle, calm down. I'm not going to bite you," he promised, before removing a keyring from his belt loop. "Check it out," he smiled, showing her a small razor blade he kept on it. He gently tugged the blade out and then took over forming the white powdery lines.

"Sorry," she muttered. She wasn't sure why she was acting so weird all of the sudden. She was aware that she wasn't really breaking any house hold rules per say. As for being in a closed room with another man… Well, it's not like they were doing anything super bad or anything. Just having a little fun. "I have a boyfriend," she found herself saying suddenly. She watched as his eyes rose up momentarily to meet hers before he went back to what he was doing, removing a paper bill from his wallet.

"I figured," he answered simply. "It doesn't bother me any," he said before offering it to her for the first hit. She gently took it from his hands as she gave him a searching gaze looking for any hints of dishonesty. Not seeing any, she ducked down to take the first hit inhaling deeply before raising up and rubbing her nose vigorously. It always burned her nasal cavity going up; she'd never really been a fan of that part.

But then it suddenly hit. It was as if a rush of euphoria suddenly slammed into her frontal lobe and she gasped at the impact. Her face was already beginning to tingle with a strange sense of numbness that strangely contrasted with the burst of jittery energy she was feeling. Her vision was strange now, almost magnified in a weird way and doubled around the edges. Leaning down for another hit she could feel her nose twitching involuntarily.

"Haha! You look like a bunny!" Jordan laughed as he too took a hit. She hadn't even realized he'd taken the bill from her, not that she could really be bothered to care at the moment. Why were they sitting anyway? They should be doing things. Yes, doing things was all that mattered. Move, move, move, move, _MOVE!_ "Man, you're really fucked up," she heard him laugh.

Her eyes were slightly bugged out as she looked back at him, her nose still twitching cutely as she rubbed it again. "S-sorry, heheh," she giggled. "I just can't c-control it. I almost f-forgot what this f-feels like," she stuttered a bit, feeling the electric charge that was coursing through her body. She suddenly wanted to touch things now. Everything. Oooo, was there anything soft in here? What she wouldn't give to stroke a furry wall right now. Her eyes suddenly brightened as she glanced over to see the edge of a familiar purple cape. "Oooooo, come feel this!" she demanded, pulling him by the hand over to the dressing rack clumsily before tugging the cape off of it. Several other articles of clothing fell down, but she didn't seem to care. "F-feeeel it, it's some kinda' f-felt!" she gushed, allowing him to feel it for a moment before swinging it over her shoulders. "M-Murdoc would kill me iffff he saw this. I am queen of the room!" she shouted, trying to stand tall, but wavering a bit in her stance.

"Ah yes, and I am your lowly disciple!" Jordan shouted back, playing along as he bowed deeply. "And what does my queen order?"

"I order you to- oooo _mmmmph!_ " she tripped over the end of the cape and fell forward only to be saved when Jordan caught her in his arms. She looked up at him with a blush and smiled. "Thanks," she said, innocently kissing his cheek.

That was all it took for her world to come crashing down.

2D had finally escaped the long boring meeting. He really didn't care much for finances, they were confusing and made his head hurt from trying to think it out too hard. They'd stayed in that little room for so long that he was starting to feel sober again. Which while that wasn't all bad, it sucked because that meant his headaches were starting to shine through the wreckage.

The guys had invited him to go out to the bar for a drink, but he'd declined. He wanted to try and spend some time with his little love instead and he knew she'd be pleasantly surprised by it. But where had she gone? He looked around the now empty studio, scratching his head as he thought about where he should look first. She usually waited here for them to finish and then would go on her merry way after she was sure they were through for the night.

He heard a loud shout from the dressing room followed by giggling. Smiling, he approached with a bit of a bounce in his step wondering what was causing her to sound like she was having so much fun. But then when a second much deeper voice joined her laughter, he stopped dead in his tracks. Their voices were muffled by the door, so he couldn't make out what was said. But someone was definitely in the room with her. A male someone.

No, not his little love. Surely _his_ Noodle wouldn't….

His heart lurched in his chest as he suddenly felt very cold and clammy. His eyes widened slightly as he started to hyperventilate. What could possibly be behind this now imposing door? Why did he suddenly feel so timid and reluctant to look inside?

He barely remembered reaching for the door as he gently pushed it open to reveal the pair. His breath caught in his throat as he saw his dearest love in the arms of another man and his heart shattered where he stood as he watched in almost slow motion as she leaned up and kissed the other man's jaw. He couldn't stop the loud gasp that escaped him as he felt all of the hair leave his chest. Never had he felt so hurt and empty.

Noodle must have heard him because she'd now turned her head and met his eyes with a look of dawning horror. But he wasn't seeing her, not really. It was as if his mind suddenly couldn't cope. Instead of Noodle and the red-headed man, their faces suddenly flickered and he swore it was now Murdoc with his arms wrapped around Paula. "H-how coul' you do this teh me?" he found himself wheezing as he slowly backed away from the strangely morphed scene in front of him.

The now odd-looking Noodle/Paula slipped from the man's arms and ran up to him babbling as she tried to explain. He could hear the other man trying to say something behind her but his ears where filled with a horrible loud noise that was paired with a now pulsing migraine. He threw his hands up in front of himself as if to block himself from the blow, trying to protect the remains of his torn heart.

"I-I trusted you," he was muttering. _No._ That wasn't right. He was _sobbing_. He could feel his body shaking as he tried to control it to no avail. His whole face felt runny and wet. But then so was hers. So many tears. Her whole face was full of regret as she screeched in some sorrowful foreign language that didn't quite compute. "G-get away from me!" he yelled back, shoving her away weakly.

"B-but, Toochi!" she sobbed, looking back at him as if he'd slapped her. Her nose was still twitching a little and she was trying hard not to let it, but she was beside herself, if he'd only listen! "You don't u-understand! N-nothing h-happened. I fell!"

His blackened eyes narrowed through his pain at these words. So familiar but from another time.

 _"I tripped!"_

Hadn't that been what Paula had said all those years ago? But she hadn't tripped had she? No. No, this was all wrong. He couldn't do this again. _He wouldn't!_

He grabbed her by the shoulders and forced her away again. "I w-want 'im to leave, Noodle," he demanded, his sadness now turning into downright rage as he spoke slowly. "Get 'im tha' fuck outta' here and leave me alone! I'll stay 'till this damn album is done fer tha' band. But afta' this, I'm gone." He said in a gravelly voice as he tried to force himself to stay strong. Her mouth was wide open and she looked completely devastated as she dropped down to her knees and tried to weakly grab at his legs. He stepped further away from her with a look of absolute disgust and hurt. "I mean it. I'm no' going froo 'is again. No' afta' what Paula did."

"B-but Too-"

" _Don't call me tha'!"_ he practically spat and she flinched. She bit her lip, trembling like a leaf as she looked up at him, pleading with him mentally to understand.

But he didn't.

"I mean'it. Get'm the fuck ou' of here and ge' out've my sight," he said in a firmer voice, as he reigned in his emotions. He turned to walk away and paused and spoke in a voice so quite she could just barely make out his words. "You should've tol' me if you was unhappy. I'd 'ave given you anyfing in teh world."

Then he was gone.

* * *

 **A/N:** Aaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh. That took forever to write. Hope I didn't horrify you too badly. I promise I'll fix it! But it'll be a bumpy journey ahead for sure. Hopefully no one looks at my recent browser history or I might have some interesting questions to answer. But I wanted the effects of the drug to be realistic.

A shout-out to my cousins who are traveling to Texas tomorrow. Be safe! Lots of love!

Once again thanks for all of the great support! Just today while I was writing this I got another nice and long review. Thank you for your honesty, it really helps.


	12. Chapter 12

**She's My Collar**

 _By: KKM_

Disclaimer: I do not own the Gorillaz or any related characters/songs. Gorillaz are © Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett.

* * *

 **Last Time:**

" _B-but Too-"_

 _"Don't call me tha'!" he practically spat and she flinched. She bit her lip, trembling like a leaf as she looked up at him, pleading with him mentally to understand._

 _But he didn't._

 _"I mean'it. Get'm the fuck ou' of here and ge' out've my sight," he said in a firmer voice, as he reigned in his emotions. He turned to walk away and paused. "You should've tol' me if you was unhappy. I'd 'ave given you teh world."_

 _Then he was gone._

* * *

 **Chapter 12: Carnival**

Noodle's small hand was still trembling under his larger one when he'd finished recounting that horrible night. She was leaning forward so that her purple bangs were obscuring her eyes from their vision and her lips were pinched in a thin line as if she was squeezing them as tightly as she could to prevent any hints of movement. If it wasn't for the slight flutter of her bangs near her nose, he might have thought she'd stopped breathing. She'd been this way ever since he'd taken over telling them what had happened after being released from the business meeting between himself, Murdoc, Russel, and Benjamin.

Across from them at the table, Russel and Murdoc were almost just as still as their guitarist. Russel looked lost again as he looked carefully between the singer and his surrogate daughter. It was clear that whatever they had planned to tell him about their break-up, something like this had been the furthest scenario from his mind. One thing was clear – he no longer looked disgusted about their current relationship. If anything, he appeared to be more befuddled by it.

Russel thought carefully about what Noodle had told him the night before about how she couldn't forgive herself and how he'd be disappointed in her. Well, she'd been partially right. He was indeed disappointed in her. How could she have been so reckless with all of this? Why hadn't she came to him for advice? He'd like to have thought he would have listened. But even he had to admit that there were things about Noodle he'd never be able to understand. In some ways she took after their leader more than any of them with her mischievousness and quickness to anger. He couldn't really fault her for it, but it made things hard sometimes. As far as forgiveness went, Russel could see the strong look of concern and devotion on his friend's face from across the table. Even if Noodle hadn't forgiven herself, for whatever reason the singer clearly had and maybe that was enough.

Beside him, Murdoc appeared to also be suffering some form of conflict. His red-rimmed eyes kept moving back and forth between the messy table top and the distraught axe princess. His jaw was clenching and unclenching as if he was fighting the need to say something, though curiously his face didn't appear as angry as one might've been once it was discovered he'd been stolen from. He flexed one of his hands momentarily, accidentally causing one of his nails to make a screeching sound that broke the unnatural silence of the room. He cringed a moment before deciding on crossing his arms in an effort to stay still instead. Russel gave him a questioning look, but Murdoc shook his head giving him a silent message to wait.

"Noodle?" 2D asked softly, having not seen the exchange from the two older men. He gently touched her stiff shoulder causing the smallest of flinches, but otherwise no response/ "Love, speak teh me…"

Nothing.

2D looked toward the others helplessly, fearing that she was about to have a panic attack of some sort. Russel made a move to speak, but was stopped when Murdoc placed a hand on his chest to stop him. He stood with a resigned look on his face. If the girl was too withdrawn to speak, he'd have to draw it out of her. If there was one thing that Murdoc Niccals excelled at, it was pissing people off. In this moment, he knew that no amount of coddling was going to help the girl. No, she was too much like him to fall for that. She needed to get angry.

"SoooOOOoooOOOooo," he trilled unpleasantly in a low voice. "No' only didja' think it'd be okay teh _steal_ from ol' Mudsy, bu' now it's okay teh borrow my shi' when you want a good romp?" He said every syllable slow and mordant. 2D and Russel's jaws dropped in disbelief. Both of them momentarily too stunned by such a crass insinuation to react.

"Now, wait jus' a minute, Mu-" 2D protested, only to be cut off by the green man's harsh dismissal.

" _SHUT THE FUCK UP, DENTS!_ " he shouted, banging his fist against the table with spit flying from his mouth from the ferocity. "I wosn't talkin' teh you," he snorted, watching as 2D gulped and looked up at him with a deer-in-headlights look. "Dis is _my_ band an' I'll do what I fuckin' want. An' what I want is ta' hear from miss pity-party over here! Wot are yeh even worried abou'? You go' what yeh wanted in the end, didn' ya'?"

Noodle's shoulders began to quiver under 2D's hand as she waited for the outburst. After this her humiliation was sure to be complete. Russel's silence was only confirming to her that her fears of his disappointment and now with Murdoc about to scream her head off for stealing his smack paired with how horribly she'd treated 2D, she was sure that they'd want to kick her out for sure. She squeezed her eyes closed and waited for the explosion.

 _"Now…WOT THA' FUCK MAKES YEH THINK I'D LET ANY OF YA WEAR ME CAPE!?"_

Wait. _What?_

Her head snapped up and her puffy eyes stared at him in disbelief. There Murdoc was leaning over the table breathing hard and looking like a rabid wolf foaming at the mouth and all he was concerned about was that damn cape? Was he fucking shitting her right now?

"Excuse me!?" she growled, suddenly; her blood was boiling over the older man's stupidity. She stood up and smacked away 2D's coddling absently as she leaned over the table just as angry. He didn't care that she'd gotten right up in his face. If he was going to be a dick to her, she was going to give it back just as bad. "That's what you're fucking pissed about?" she yelled, the color returning to her cheeks the more she thought of the absurdity of it all.

"I'll 'ave you know, it's one ova kind! Fans woul' pay _millions_ jus' to touch the damn thing an' 'ere you are trolliping aroun' in it like some sorta' kink?" he raged, shaking his fist at her. "It's a collectable!"

" _A collectable!?"_ she screamed back in frustration, throwing her hands in the air. "That's not even the original cape! You lost the real one with your drunken baffooning around _Plastic Beach!_ What would you even need that one for? You already have that ridiculous cheetah one you've been yammering about incessantly!"

"Well the fans don't know tha'!" he retorted, kicking his chair out of the way. "Look't how much they paid fer the damn Geep that one o' you lot sold from unda' me. _Was tha' you too?_ " he accused, pointing one of his talons at her threateningly.

"What are- _Are you crazy!?_ " she fumed, stamping her foot before turning swiftly from the kitchen. "I don't need this shit, right now!"

"Nietha' do I! Excuse me while I try'n find a lockbox fer all tha' shit I apparently have ta' hide around 'ere!" He walked over to the door and opened it, but curiously didn't actually leave as he made a show of slamming it as hard as he could before leaning against it with his arms crossed. A pleased smirk tugged at his lips as they heard her scream from somewhere on the stairwell followed by the sound of presumably her bedroom door slamming from above. "Ah, tha's betta'." He chuckled.

"I-Eh, wot?" 2D scratched his head in confusion at the other man. "Shoul' I go check on 'er?"

"Nah, I'd leave it," the bassist shrugged. "She'll be alrigh'. Chances are tha' prolly tuckered her out. She'll prolly take a nice nap soon."

"You old dawg. That was a dirty trick even for you," Russel laughed quietly, shaking his head. It was the first time he'd spoken since 2D had paused in his story. "You did that shit on purpose," he said knowingly.

"Yeah, wot of it?" Murdoc rolled his eyes as he rejoined them at the table and leaned back resting his Cuban heels on the table top with an air of arrogance. "Now we won't 'ave to deal with 'er PMSing about getting' too emotional in front of us, will we? Plus, she was about teh crack anyways. It wouldn't 'ave been pretty." He shrugged. "She needed an out. So I gave it ter 'er."

"You're getting soft, Muds," Russel teased half-heartedly before resting his elbow on the table and his head in his hand with a sigh. Murdoc ignored the comment completely.

"Will tha' really work?" 2D wondered out loud, still staring at the ceiling in a mixture of bewilderment and worry.

"Trus' me, Imma Docta'." Murdoc deadpanned.

Apparently that seemed to relieve the blue haired man from his worries as he nodded to himself absent-mindedly and sat down again. The three stayed silent a while, thinking of everything that had been revealed in such a short period of time. They were knocked out of their stupors when Russel made a strange sound. His eyes seemed to be glowing in understanding as he gazed back over at the singer.

"You lied to me," he said in a surprised voice. "I remember the day after the recording. You'd just told me you broke up with your girlfriend," he paused, thinking. "Noodle'd been acting weird that day too and you told me she'd just found out a friend died. I spent that whole day trying to get her to calm down and talk to me about it."

2D gave him a guilty look and cleared his throat. "Well, she really needed someone teh be there fo' her. Plus, to us it really was like somefin' died. It was the day afta' the death o' our friendship."

"Ugh. If we're gonna' keep up with this depressing shit, Imma need a drink," the Satanist interrupted, standing once more. "You lot in?"

"I'm in," Russ nodded, "D?"

"Sure," 2D agreed, very much wanting to abandon this uncomfortable situation. With that, they quietly left leaving Noodle in peace.

* * *

2D was staring at his toast like it might bite him. The thought of food made him feel physically sick. He hadn't slept at all last night no matter how hard he'd tried to force himself. Even the threat of overdose hadn't quelled him, much to his disappointment. Every time he closed his eyes all her could see was Noodle kissing that guy on the cheek. Only, in his sleep-depraved mind the image progressively was getting worse. Sometimes he'd imagine that he lips had been curved up in a knowing smile. Other times in his imagination she'd be looking dead at him, torturing him on purpose until his heart felt like it had been carved from his chest and fed to the worms.

He shuddered and swallowed back the feeling of bile that was threatening to creep up his throat. "Ugh," he groaned, pushing the plate away from him dispassionately as he rested his head onto the table top and curled his arms over his head in a lame attempt to make it stop. This never worked of course. He felt like crying, but his bruised eyes seemed to be too tired to get even that right. So instead he was left to his own devices.

What did that guy have that he didn't anyways? Oh right, a brain. Plus he looked to be around Noodle's age too, hadn't he? In fact, now that he thought of it, he was probably the complete opposite of that guy in every way. Even their hair contrasted. But why did she have to do it? He'd known this was all a bad idea from the start and now he was paying dearly for it.

"You okay, D?" Russel's warm voice cut through his depressing thoughts. 2D chanced glancing up at his friend to see the concern reflecting in his milky gaze. 2D shook his head in response, finding no reason to be dishonest about it. "Wanna' talk about it?"

"No' really," he whispered glumly. Russel looked like he was about to say more when Noodle entered the room. She stopped dead in her tracks, a stricken look on her face as she looked between the distraught singer and the puzzled drummer.

"G-Gomen nasai," she apologized in a small voice. "Just wanted some t-tea." She turned away from them before her voice cracked and reached up into one of the cabinets to find a cup.

Russel gave her a curious look, but then returned his attention to 2D and patted him on the shoulder. "Well, if you're sure man."

"S'okay, thanks," 2D replied, looking back at the table again. His stomach felt tight and horrible again. Being in the same room with her was so suffocating he was almost worried he wouldn't be able to breathe. "M'gurlfriend broke up wif me las' night," he suddenly found himself saying. Noodle, who had been pouring some hot water from a kettle paused mid pour and gasped. She didn't turn around, but he could see that her shoulders were trembling.

"What? That's horrible!" Russel frowned, sitting down heavily in his seat. "You seemed so happy. What happened?

"She…" he trailed off, watching as Noodle glanced back at him with glassy eyes. He hardened his resolve and turned his attention back to Russ, who hadn't noticed the exchange as Noodle was behind him. "S-she cheated on meh…"

There was a crashing sound as Noodle dropped her cup causing it to break and for the hot liquid to splash all over the floor.

"Noodle, are you-" Russel began, hurrying to stand. But to his surprise she looked up at them with tears falling from her eyes. She shook her head and ran from the room before he could ask more. "What the hell was that about?" the bigger man asked, rightfully startled as he heard a door slam upstairs.

2D frowned, feeling bad for some reason. Yes, he was still traumatized by everything that had happened and he was deeply hurt by the whole thing. But something about how small and vulnerable Noodle had looked… even last night he could tell she'd been devastated. The whole thing was so confusing and raw. Too fresh to fully understand. She didn't deserve his pity and understanding and yet his heart couldn't ignore his need to protect her. "Her friend... She found out a friend passed away las' night. Tol' me about it when I came back," he lied, unable to look Russel in the eye as spoke. "I'm in no condition teh help her wif how I am ri' now. Bu' you can…"

Russel took a deep breath and nodded. "Thanks man, I'm sure she'll understand," he said, giving the singer one last pat of sympathy before going off to check on Noodle.

Once at her door, Russ cautiously knocked twice. "Noodle? Can I come in?" he asked in his smooth baritone. He listened a moment, but she didn't respond. He could hear the faint sounds of her crying on the other side. He gently opened the door and stepped in. "Oh, baby-gurl," he frowned when he saw her. She was on top of her bed with her arms clutched around a stuffed panda as she tried to hide her sobs. "It's okay, I'm here." He said approaching her. He nudged her over so he could sit next to her on the bed. She released the stuffed animal and immediately sobbed against his chest. "Shhhhh, it's alright Noodle. These things happen."

"W-what do y-you m-mean?" she gulped between sobs as she huddled against him. His presence was already helping her. She wished she could tell him everything like she used to when she was younger and he'd make it all better, but knew he'd never understand.

"It's okay, 2D told me everything," he soothed. He felt her tense against him, but then she relaxed when he continued. "I'm sorry your friend died. I remember when Del… Well, it's alright to cry it out. I'm here," he promised again, holding her close.

This only made her cry harder, though Russ never realized why. Even after everything she'd done to him, 2D was still protecting her from harm. Through his anger he'd still made sure that she was taken care of and felt loved. What had she given him in return? Only heartache. She was both thankful and completely distraught by this revelation. She loved him so much still but had no idea how she would ever fix this. What if he really did leave the band? Then everything really would be her fault. She felt like her world was crumbling around her.

"I-I loved him," she croaked against Russel's chest. "I-I love h-him and n-now he's g-gone."

This revelation made Russel's heart go out to her even more. "We'll get through this, Noodle-gurl," he whispered, kissing the top of her head as if she was a little girl again. "We'll help you."

But as she hugged him tighter, she wasn't so sure he could.

* * *

 **A/N:** Blarg, another emotional chapter. Have you guys listened to _Sleeping Powder_ yet? That song has been stuck in my head for like a straight up week. And here I thought I was addicted to _Charger_. Lol.

If you're wanting to know about the new cape that Noodle was talking about, go on the Gorillaz Instagram page. There's a picture of Murdoc in a white cape with cheetah print on the inside of it. It looks pretty cool in my opinion.

Also, if you've watched the Murdoc/2D live interview that was released a few days before the CD, you'd know it was 2D who'd pulled a fast one on Murdoc and sold the Geep on Ebay. Sneaky little devil!


	13. Chapter 13

**She's My Collar**

 _By: KKM_

Disclaimer: I do not own the Gorillaz or any related characters/songs. Gorillaz are © Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett.

* * *

 **Last Time:**

 _This only made her cry harder, though Russ never realized why. Even after everything she'd done to him, 2D was still protecting her from harm. Through his anger he'd still made sure that she was taken care of and felt loved. What had she given him in return? Only heartache. She was both thankful and completely distraught by this revelation. She loved him so much still but had no idea how she would ever fix this. What if he really did leave the band? Then everything really would be her fault. She felt like her world was crumbling around her._

 _"I-I loved him," she croaked against Russel's chest. "I-I love h-him and n-now he's g-gone."_

 _This revelation made Russel's heart go out to her even more. "We'll get through this, Noodle-gurl," he whispered, kissing the top of her head as if she was a little girl again. "We'll help you."_

 _But as she hugged him tighter, she wasn't so sure he could._

* * *

 **Chapter 13: Hallelujah Money**

"I'll get it!" Russel shouted when he heard the doorbell ring from the hallway. A few hours ago, they had wrapped up a particularly frustrating rehearsal. For once it wasn't their egomaniac leader's fault. In fact, Russ got the idea that the older man had been just as irritated as he was about the whole thing. He wasn't even sure what had went wrong. One moment they'd all been playing through a few of their newer songs. It hadn't been as harmonious as usual. Noodle kept strumming away with the verbosity of a moody tiger which was giving their songs an edgy undertone so they had continued on without much complaint. But then 2D had started missing his cues due to the weird tempo and everything had fallen out of whack from there.

2D had been the first to crack as he'd stepped away from his microphone and keyboard to openly glare at her. The singer had actually yelled at the young guitarist! He'd voiced his frustrations that she wasn't paying attention to what she was doing and how she was screwing up the vibe of his music. She'd been just as relentless as she removed the strap of her Les Paul and practically shoved it at Murdoc before marching up to the blue haired man complaining that it was his fault for sounding so dispassionate and blaming him for being a jackass about it.

All the time they were fighting, Russel and Murdoc kept shooting each other looks of annoyance and confusion. They opted not to join the fight as it seemed this had been building for a while. Neither of them knew exactly what had been said between the two best friends, but it was clear that whatever it was had been bothering the younger two members for weeks. They'd both been irritable and hardly seemed to ever stay in the same room with each other for very long. 2D always seemed to have a bitter cloud hanging over him ever since he'd announced his breakup with his mystery girl and Noodle had been depressed and borderline bipolar since her friend had died. Russ was seriously thinking about forcing the two to go see a therapist if this continued much longer. He'd wait and talk it over with Muds later when they were alone.

The doorbell rang again and he rolled his eyes before grasping the door handle and pulling it open to greet their unexpected guests. "Yeah, yeah. I'm right here. No need to-" his words cut off abruptly when he realized it was two police officers and the band's lawyer Gordy Rodgers on the front step. "Uh… Gordy, what's going on?" the drummer asked, sounding uncertain as he stepped out of the way to let them in.

Gordy Rodgers was a portly looking man with slightly balding wheat colored hair. He always gave the impression that he was out of breath and had a nervous habit of scratching his nose when he ran into the more irritating problems that seemed to follow the band throughout the years. Today he was wearing a rather hideous looking yellow tweed suit that made his look more like an obese walrus than the top-notch lawyer he was. His suitcase was clutched in a tight grip and currently overflowing with papers as if he'd packed it in a hurry. He gave Russel a long-suffering sigh and stuck his nose up at the police officer who was eyeing them both in distaste. "They've come to try and take Murdoc," he sniffed in a rush. "But this won't hold up in court, I'm telling you!"

"Tell that to the judge," one of the cops retorted with a snort, handing Russel the warrant for the green man's arrest.

"God damnit, what's that ol' cracker done now?" Russ groaned as he took the offered piece of paper and quickly started reading it over. After he got about a page in, his grip on the paper tightened and he took a deep breath before bellowing at the top of his lungs causing everyone to jump. _"MURDOC, GET'CHO ASS UP HERE!"_

Upstairs, Noodle had been picking at her guitar-calloused fingers with somewhat of a grimace on her tired features. Nothing was going how she wanted. The day after 2D had sent Russel to console her, she'd tried to corner the singer into talking to her but he'd been very good at avoiding her lately. If she would enter a room, he would suddenly exit. It wasn't even the silent treatment that was bothering her. He wouldn't _look_ at her. Never had she felt so horrible and worthless before. And over something that had been so completely misunderstood and blown out of proportion. She had no idea how she was supposed to fix this.

Even worse, she knew that 2D had gone out to the bar with Murdoc at least two times that she was aware of. She'd sighed in relief each time he'd returned alone looking drunk and angry as Murdoc boisterously led his newest conquests to his notorious Winnebago. She wasn't sure what she'd do if he actually brought someone home with him. A small flutter of hope warmed her heart each time he'd come back empty-handed. She knew he was hurting just as bad if not worse than she was. She just needed time to figure out a plan to win him back.

The Axe Princess was not about to silently admit defeat. If 2D would not talk to her, she would make him talk. Practices were the only place that he could not escape her. So like today, she would purposely mess up or do things simply to bait him. Today she'd been very successful in angering him. His face had turned beat red and the veins in his neck had practically popped out in his rare display. Hot puffs of air had assaulted her face with each shout and she'd given it back to him twice as good feeling a strange sense of relief from finally being able to express all of her pent up stress. Even though he'd obviously been pissed too, she could tell that he'd felt the same way. They hadn't been best friends for so many years for no reason, after all.

She flinched in surprise when she hear Russ's angry yell followed by several shouts coming from downstairs. She cocked her head to the side, curiosity getting the best of her as she slid from the zabuton cushion she'd been sitting on and stood heading for the door. Apparently she hadn't been the only one roused from her sanctuary.

2D was already standing in the hallway looking over toward the stairwell with a deep frown on his face as if he was trying to decide if he should go see what was happening or not. When he heard her door open, his head jerked toward her and he furrowed his brows at her. It took her a moment to register that his dark eyes weren't gazing at her with his normal ire, but more inquisitively. She raised her own brows at him in surprise and shrugged, silently conveying to him that she had no idea what was going on. That seemed to be enough for him as he turned back toward the stairwell and narrowed his eyes in the direction of the obvious confrontation. He cautiously led the way until they were both about half way down the stairs. Then they both turned in unison, leaning against the rails to watch from a safe distance. They knew from experience that it wasn't a good idea to put themselves in the middle of a scuffle between Russ and Muds. It was best just to lay low and observe from afar.

"Mr. Rodgers and the cops? This can't be good…" Noodle trailed off. Beside her she watched as 2D winced at the sound of her voice. He didn't reply, but he also didn't move away from her either so that was a somewhat win, wasn't it?

Sighing, she tuned in to the commotion below.

"Murdoc, what the hell is this!?" the large drummer was growling as he clutched the now very crumbled papers tightly in his hand as he waived them into the older man's face.

"Now, now," Murdoc was saying, waving his arms in front of the bigger man as if to calm him down. He did not seem very confident about it though because he was steadily moving backwards until his back thumped against the wall unintentionally cornering himself. "S'alrigh' Russ, just a simple copyrigh' issue. Nothin' ol' Muds can't fix."

" _COPYRIGHT ISSUE!?_ " Russel bellowed in a disbelieving voice. "They've got you for stalking and blackmail, you old coot. And to Grace Jones, no less! What were you thinking? She's one of our features. This jeopardizes everything!"

"Well, yesssss. About that," Murdoc chuckled nervously, tapping his fingers together, "I hadn' actually gotten 'round to convincin' her to be on board yet." He visibly flinched when he watched Russel's face morph from disbelief to fury. "But tha's wot I was doin', yeh see. She agreed teh have tea with me an' I decided to use it as an opportunity to negotiate."

"You absolute _fool."_ Russel spat, shaking as he tried to keep himself from kicking the older man's ass in front of two cops and a lawyer. "You stole her underwear and tried to blackmail her with it? Really Muds!? I'd already convinced her to feature, you numbskull! Now she's getting a restraining order from you. Do you know how much convincing it's going to take to get this shit fixed?"

Murdoc had the decency too look embarrassed and was about to open his mouth to say something before he was interrupted by one of the police officers. "Well, you'll have plenty of time to think it over in prison for breaking your probation," the man snickered.

Murdoc gave the man a cocky snort. "Oh please, that's what good lawyers are for. Right Gordy?" he smirked.

But gordy wasn't smiling, in fact he looked rather fidgeting. "Well… if convicted it could get reduced to nine months on good behavior," he frowned, giving Murdoc a rather serious look.

" _Kuso…_ " Noodle muttered under her breath. Her fingers twitched nervously, accidentally brushing 2D's hand beside her. He frowned and quickly jerked his hand away before refocusing on what was going on below, his frown deepening in concentration. Noodle sighed, sparing him a quick glance before shifting on her step and following his gaze.

Murdoc had paled considerably until he'd resembled something akin to a seasick crocodile. But just as quickly his cheeks began to flush with an almost frightening display of outrage. " _NINE BLOODY MONTHS!?_ Gordy, I go' an alb'm teh release. You lot can't do this ter me!"

"I'm afraid we can and we will, Mr. Niccals," the officer said with a nasty smile as his partner stepped forward mockingly swinging the handcuffs on her index finger lazily. "Is that resisting arrest, I hear?"

Murdoc's eyes widened comically at that, knowing that if they marked that down on their little pads of theirs he could kiss his early release goodbye. "N-no, officers. In fact, I think I'm ready," he said, changing his tune before giving Russel a meaningful look. "Take care of the kids, love?" he made a poor attempt at baiting the bigger man with humor.

"Fuuuuuck," Russel groaned, wiping some sweat from his forehead before stepping away from the Satanist. "You owe me big time fo' dis. And don't you dare think I won't forget," he said sternly motioning for the police officers to do their jobs. "I'll have to call everyone and make sure no one bounces out because of this," he said, suddenly looking drained.

"I'm sure you'll do fiiiiine, Lards," Murdoc reassured him, making a show of acting like everything was all hunky-dory. The female officer cuffed him with a sharp click and he gave her a flirty chuckle that she ignored with a sneer. Then he turned his mismatched gaze up to the concerned other half of his band and offered a cheeky smile. "Awwww, will yeh miss meeee? I'll be back'for ya' know it."

"I'll get this all straightened out, Mr. Hobbs," Gordy promised, looking annoyed as the officers led the cackling bassist away.

"Just let me know what happens. I need to make some calls," Russel sighed before stomping away toward the basement where they assumed he was going to the makeshift office they'd made down in the recording studio.

Soon everyone had left and only Noodle and 2D remained as they were on the stairwell. Noodle glanced over at 2D's concerned face and frowned. He looked both tired and worried. "Too-" she cut herself off when she saw his eyes start to narrow again. "2D," she amended quickly. "You okay?"

"M'leavin," he muttered coldly, stepping away from her has he clunked down the rest of the stairs. He looked back up at her when she hadn't moved and seemed to falter at the stricken look on her face. He paused a moment frowning at her strange reaction. He hadn't been any colder than he usually was toward her. Then his words from a few weeks ago echoed through his damaged mind and he winced.

 _'I'll stay 'till this damn album is done fer tha' band. But afta' this, I'm gone.'_

Murdoc was going to jail for nine months and who knew what Russel was going to do in the meantime. _'She finks yo' gonna' leave too,'_ he thought to himself. _'An maybe I should…'_ But as always, something in his mind prevented him from doing what he should do and he spoke a vague reassurance that had her staring at him in bewilderment. "I'll be back," he said simply.

Then she was left alone to her troubled thoughts.

* * *

 **A/N:** Well that just happened. Like I said, I wanted to keep kinda with what's revealed in the interviews. This one is mostly channeled from what happened in the Murdoc 2D live interview. Murdoc mentioned he went to jail for a "copyright" issue for nine months. Sounds like an excuse to me lol. So I paired it with his joking about spending a wild night with Grace Jones. She'll actually be in a chapter later on.

The song title for this chapter made me giggle a bit. Not because of the song – that's rather beautiful and serious. But because every time I think of Murdoc anywhere near money I imagine that his happy place would be something similar to Scrooge McDuck swimming in a poll of gold and big bills. Close your eyes, you know you could see it too.

Oh the irony of chapter 13 mostly being about Murdoc. I feel like he'd be proud of that... weirdly that wasn't planned. I just now noticed it rofl. Maybe I did that subconsciously.

As far as 2D and Noodle getting back together, it will happen I promise. It will just take a little time. With how fast I update this story I can tell you that I don't think you'll have to wait long no matter how excruciating it feels. Hang in there!


	14. Chapter 14

**She's My Collar**

 _By: KKM_

Disclaimer: I do not own the Gorillaz or any related characters/songs. Gorillaz are © Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett.

* * *

 **Last Time:**

" _M'leavin," he muttered coldly, stepping away from her has he clunked down the rest of the stairs. He looked back up at her when she hadn't moved and seemed to falter at the stricken look on her face. He paused a moment frowning at her strange reaction. He hadn't been any colder than he usually was toward her. Then his words from a few weeks ago echoed through his damaged mind and he winced._

 _'I'll stay 'till this damn album is done fer tha' band. But afta' this, I'm gone.'_

 _Murdoc was going to jail for nine months and who knew what Russel was going to do in the meantime. 'She finks yo' gonna' leave too,' he thought to himself. 'An maybe I should…' But as always, something in his mind prevented him from doing what he should do and he spoke a vague reassurance that had her staring at him in bewilderment. "I'll be back," he said simply._

 _Then she was left alone to her troubled thoughts._

* * *

 **Chapter 13: Strobelite**

"C'mon lads, anotha' round!" Murdoc hooted joyfully as he slammed his now empty beer flagon hard on the table to catch their waitress's attention. After Noodle had run off to her room, the three friends had migrated to the local bar just outside of their neighborhood. It was a small cozy little place called Squirrely's where they would frequent every now and then for a good brew and maybe a game or two of pool or darts. Presently, they were all sitting at a small round table on the far side of the bar so they could have a little bit of privacy but still be able to enjoy the comings and goings of the establishment. Or at least Murdoc was (every time a hotty walked by he'd elbow Russel in the ribs and whistle, "Ge' a good look o'that, mate!").

2D was leaning back in his seat with a relaxed look on his still slightly bruised face. Luckily, since they weren't at the forefront of the bar and the lighting wasn't that great, no one had paid him any mind. He could feel the nice warm buzz of his beverage lulling him into a lazy state of mind. All of the tension he'd built up over the past couple of days was slowly fading from his fuzzy mind and being replaced with a sense of drunken security.

He probably would have accidentally dozed off if Russel hadn't good-naturedly smacked his shoulder to get his attention. "Aw, man 'D. If ya'all were that tense when they took Muds away. I bet ch'all were really freaked out when I had to leave," he was saying between bites of his chili fries.

"Oh yeeeeeeah," Muds agreed, swaying a little before greedily snatching the replacement drink the waitress had just dropped off. He offered her a sly wink and chuckled arrogantly when she blushed and hurried away. "That bird's gonna' be frisky soon, mark my words," he murmured with a lecherous grin before returning his attention to the conversation and nodding toward Russ. "I'd forgotten 'bout you leavin' an' all. No' that I could've done much 'bout it anyways."

"Well, thanks to yo' stupid ass I had too," Russ retorted with a snort, narrowing his eyes at the green man. "All of our features in America were freakin' out, man. News don't always mesh right overseas."

"I'll say," he cackled, thrusting his mug in the air, sloshing some beer at them as if he was toasting the bigger man's words. Some of the beer landed in Russ's food causing him to grimace a little, but he seemed to think it was still safe because he continued to eat it without complaint. "Very attached to their celebrity news, 'Yanks arrre. Trust anythin' I tell you. Sometimes I wonder what they'd do withou' us."

"Whatever, man," Russ shook his head, too used to the older man's problem with unedited word-vomit to be overly concerned or offended. "Either way, I _had_ to go."

"Yeah, t'was definitely a bit o'a surprise," Stu agreed, finally seeming to emerge from his drunken stupor. His cheeks were slightly flushed and his lips were turned up in a bit of a tipsy grin. "Bu' it worked out in tha' long run, dinnit? At first though, it was bloody 'orrible!" he admitted, stealing another swig of his drink before Muds could swipe it from him. He'd seen the other man eyeing it and decided he'd better finish it before the other man claimed it as his. "M'glad you did though. I mean, we missed yeh an' it was pretty 'ard, but I don't fink it would 'ave worked itself out 'ow it had if yeh hadn't."

"When I was gone, you were able to work it out?" Russ asked, curiously. His fries were now long gone and he was rubbing his stomach appreciatively. His full attention was now on the wavering singer.

"Yeah," 2D replied, closing his eyes a moment as he allowed his find to focus on the warm rush of the alcohol again. He'd always liked the weird sense of vertigo alcohol gave him. Because he was so rail thin, it had always affected him faster than not. It made him think back to the small bits of his childhood he could remember where he'd do a thousand summersaults until he'd fall over from dizziness. It was different than the foggy haze his pills would cause and for the moment his headaches weren't affecting him, so he was planning on enjoying the moment as long as he could.

"Aw, fuck. We 'ave to listen teh more o'this mushy shit?" Murdoc practically whined, throwing a crumpled straw wrapper at the blue-haired man. It bounced off of the singer's forehead and landed in his half-finished drink causing 2D to jump a bit as he opened his eyes again. "Fiiiiiine, carry on," Murdoc groaned dramatically giving his blessing.

2D blinked a moment before looking between his two friends and realizing that they were both staring at him intently. "Oh! Uh…" he squeaked, uncomfortable with the sudden attention. He threaded one of his unsteady hands through his messy blue locks with a sweat drop.

"Loo' at that, we broke 'im." Murdoc turned to Russ with a smirk.

"It's okay, 'D. Just start from when I told ya' I was leaving," Russ supplied helpfully, ignoring Murdoc completely.

"Awright, I c'n do that," 2D said slowly, chewing on his lip a bit as he thought back. "Tha' night I'd actually tried goin' onna date. But it din' go so well…"

* * *

Everything felt wrong. _Very wrong._

2D had been at their local bar when a beautiful Italian girl caught his eye. She'd been gorgeous with her lovely olive complexion, large almond shaped caramel eyes, and long sleek black hair. They'd locked eyes practically the moment she'd arrived. He hadn't been able to take his eyes off of her lovely body in that tight little gold mini-dress of hers. Back before he'd been with Noodle, this was exactly the type of girl he'd go for; beautiful and confident. Being the lead singer of a world famous band, he'd never really needed to put much effort into it to get what he wanted. Tonight had been no different.

Images of Noodle had flashed in his mind briefly, but he knew that if he was going to be serious about moving on he'd have to push that guilt from his mind. At first when he'd went over to talk to her, he'd thought that maybe she'd been a little put off by him. But eventually his natural charm seemed to have shined through because one thing led to another and they were now at her house in her bedroom making out heavily.

At some point, she'd taken his shirt off and was now hungrily running her hands all along his torso while she sucked on his neck like a vampire in heat. Any normal bloke would have died to be in his place right now, but everything felt stilted and wrong to him. Her touches weren't as loving, only needy and somewhat grabby. Her kisses lacked the passion that he so desperately needed and were sloppy and wet. Her body, while quite perfect, just didn't feel right against his. Her eyes that had been so beautiful in the dim lighting of the bar were now somewhat off putting as she kept glancing up at him and moaning in a cheap way that he knew some men enjoyed. He wasn't like that though. He found that he needed something more tangible.

He thought that maybe he could just swallow his feelings and continue, but the more she touched him the sicker his stomach began to feel and the more uncomfortable he became. He couldn't even find it in himself to get hard from this woman's advances.

She just wasn't his Noodle.

"Stop," he frowned, gently pushing her away from him.

"B-but, what?" she'd looked up at him in confusion. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No, love," he assured her as he slid from her bed, and bent down to pick up his crumpled shirt. He slid it over his messy head and turned back to her with a sigh. "Look, you're perfect an' any otha' day I'd kill teh be wif someone 'alf as lovely as you, bu't I've just gotten out ova serious relationship…" he trailed off, watching as her brows furrowed at him in confusion. "I thought I was ready, bu' I'm no'."

She didn't yell or anything else he'd expected her to do, but she'd definitely been disappointed. She'd walked him to the door and offered him an awkward hug which he'd kindly accepted before apologizing again. After that, she'd handed him his jacket and he'd walked off into the night to find his car. He'd driven Murdoc's red 1961 Cadillac convertible. Considering the older man was currently in jail, he highly doubted that he'd be getting his ass kicked for driving it any time soon. Plus it really was a shame to just leave something so beautiful just sitting there.

The ride back to _Spirit House_ was rather uneventful. In fact, he couldn't really even recall most of it. Before he knew it he was already sitting out front slumped in his seat in defeat. He thumped his head against the steering wheel a few times, letting out a frustrated sound. What was wrong with him? It had been her who had broken his heart. So, why did he feel so guilty? He spaced out a moment, gripping the steering wheel a bit harder than necessary, ignoring it as his knuckles began turning white. He was completely out of control and he knew it, but what else could he do? He'd tried moving on and look at where that had gotten him? He was embarrassed and ashamed of himself for being such a weakling about this.

Finally, he removed himself from the car and faced his home with a bitter expression on his normally carefree face. He nervously adjusted his wind breaker jacket causing it to make a shuffling sound as he prepared himself to enter. Absently, he thought about how that sound could be cool in a song he'd been trying to write, but just as quickly he shook the thought from his head. That was neither here nor there. It was time for him to go face his demons. He couldn't just stand there out in the driveway forever, after all.

"Ah,'D I was just waiting for you," Russ greeted as soon as he walked into the door. He gave the bigger man a strange look, but followed him to the livingroom. Once there, he stopped in the doorway as his brows knitted together in confusion as he looked around the room. Noodle was sitting on the couch with her arms wrapped around her legs looking sullen as she glared at a pile of luggage that had been stacked onto the coffee table. As far as he could tell it wasn't hers because the color schemes were too bland and instead of her signature Kanji, these bags had a bunch of patches from various cities they'd visited throughout the past. The "I LOVE NY" ones seemed to stand out the most in his mind. Suddenly he felt his stomach drop as he realized the implications.

"'D?" Russ called his attention gently. He knew that the singer had been having a very hard time lately and didn't want to set him off, but he needed to talk to both of them before he left so that they'd understand why he had to go.

Noodle's piercing gaze suddenly slammed into him as they locked eyes from across the room. She looked so small and sad again that he almost wanted to go to her. But her eyes flickered to something he must not have been able to see and her expression suddenly hardened causing her to look away and break the spell.

Unsure of what just happened, 2D cleared his throat and refocused his attention on Russ who was looking between them nervously. "Russ, wha's all this?" he asked carefully, hoping he was wrong.

"Wellll," the drummer paused to gather his thoughts. "I just got word that news of Murdoc's arrest has made it back home. He's like the Amy Winehouse to them now or some shit to so they've blown it all out of proportion speculating that he's going to go crazy and go off his rocker more than he already is," Russ sighed in obvious annoyance as he rubbed his forehead a little. "I can't let this spook our features or we don't gotta' new album," he said bluntly.

"Can't you just call them and explain?" Noodle asked, sounding somewhat desperate as she threw a hateful look at the luggage. "I mean, it's not like Murdoc hasn't done stupid shit before."

" _Noodle,_ " Russel narrowed his eyes at her sternly. She may be full grown, but he still didn't like her using that tone of voice with him. "Look, I don't really _want_ to go, baby-gurl. But I gotta'," he shrugged, not sure what else to say to her. "I mean, I'll probably stop by home first and check on my company and then I gotta' go to Detroit and Chicago. I'll be back probably around the time Muds gets out."

The nice thing about Russel going back to America, was that since he did own his own label production company and studio in Brooklyn, then he could probably go ahead and sweet talk some of their features into recording early but he needed to make sure their contracts were sound first. Though it sucked that the bigger man had to leave, 2D found that he couldn't argue with the logic behind it.

"Well, anyways I better go. My plane leaves in a couple of hours," Russ was saying as he moved over to pick up one of his bags. He didn't even have to ask as Noodle and 2D silently helped with the rest of them. A taxi was already outside waiting and they quickly helped their friend load everything in. Before leaving, Russel gave Noodle a great big hug. She clung back with all her might and gave him a kiss on the cheek after whispering something in his ear. After releasing her, he turned and gave 2D a friendly hug as well.

Looking between their faces, it was easy to tell that they were not taking this news very well. Noodle's eyes were glassy and her face was scrunched in an unhappy pout. 2D wasn't much better as his shoulders were sagged down imitating a kicked puppy and his eyes looked tired as ever. Russel reached forward and grasped them both by their arms, giving them what he hoped was a comforting look. "I'll be back soon, I promise. Take care of each other, okay? I know you both been down lately, but we all family and you all need to stick together. I'll call every couple of days, I promise." He gave them each a final squeeze before letting them go and getting into the cab. He looked troubled even as the car pulled away leaving the two estranged band members behind.

2D came back to reality when he heard a small sniffle beside him and turned to see that Noodle was already turning to go back inside. He was surprised though when she paused and gave him a searching look. At first he thought that she would turn away again without saying anything, but she startled him by speaking again. "I'm willing to stay, but I don't want…" she trailed off, looking distant a moment before focusing on him again. "I know you've probably moved on, but please don't bring them here," she said quietly, looking like she'd wanted to be anywhere but there.

"W-wot do you mean?" he replied in surprise, his eye brows disappearing into his hairline. How could she have possibly known that he'd nearly been with someone? He watched as her eyes seemed to fixate on his neck and he gasped slapping his hand there without even thinking about it. He let out a slight yelp, realizing he must have just smacked a rather large hickey on his neck. Instead of giggling at his turmoil like she might have in the past, she pursed her lips and moved to walk away again.

"Noodle, wait!" he exclaimed in a hurry, stepping forward a couple of steps. He watched as she paused, but didn't turn to face him. "I, uh, won't. I won't bring anyone 'ere," he promised, unsure of why he felt it was so important to assure her. "I don't fink I'll be seein' anyone soon anyways…" he muttered to himself.

He could tell she'd heard it though from how her posture had stiffened. But she made no comment as she quickly walked back into the house leaving him alone with his thoughts again. Sighing, he looked up to the stars as if they could offer him any help, but was disappointed to only see a skyline of gray unforgiving clouds. A raindrop hit his nose followed by another on his forehead and another and another until he was drenched and sopping wet. But he stood there unmoving as he let the water mix with his silent tears and wash away at his lonely heart.

* * *

 **A/N:** In the next chapter, what will happen when 2D runs into lil' Jordi at the bar? Will he listen to what really happened? Will he be able to finally forgive Noodle? And poor Noodle, will she be able to accept him back after so much heartache? Stick around!

I made a couple of references in this chapter. The car 2D was driving is the same care that was in Saturnz Barz. I am aware that the _Spirit House_ is based off of a house in Detroit, but I think I've been pretty clear in this story that it takes place in England, so hopefully there was no confusion there.

Also, in this chapter, 2D was playing with his jacket and thinking about how it would sound in a song. That's actually exactly what Damon Albarn did in his travels and if you listen to the intro of _She's my Collar,_ you can actually hear the sound of him adjusting the hood of his jacket.

So, for you all that are lucky and are in the correct country, how was the festival? Lol, on the Gorillaz ap I found out you could get tickets to it if you dug around in 2D's room, but sadly I couldn't go for obvious reasons. I bet it was super cool though. I loved the idea of the 360 performance that was aired this week too. It makes me super excited for September when they come to Kansas City. I'm faaaaairly certain that my husband is sick of me yammering about it constantly. I think he might invest in a muzzle soon.

Anyways, let me know what you think and I promise you will not be disappointed in the next chapter.


	15. Chapter 15

**She's My Collar**

 _By: KKM_

Disclaimer: I do not own the Gorillaz or any related characters/songs. Gorillaz are © Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett.

* * *

 **Last Time:**

 _"Noodle, wait!" he exclaimed in a hurry, stepping forward a couple of steps. He watched as she paused, but didn't turn to face him. "I, uh, won't. I won't bring anyone 'ere," he promised, unsure of why he felt it was so important to assure her. "I don't fink I'll be seein' anyone soon anyways…" he muttered to himself._

 _He could tell she'd heard it though from how her posture had stiffened. But she made no comment as she quickly walked back into the house leaving him alone with his thoughts again. Sighing, he looked up to the stars as if they could offer him any help, but was disappointed to only see a skyline of gray unforgiving clouds. A raindrop hit his nose followed by another on his forehead and another and another until he was drenched and sopping wet. But he stood there unmoving as he let the water mix with his silent tears and wash away at his lonely heart._

* * *

 **Chapter 15: Halfway to the Halfway House**

He was at the bar again. For the past few weeks he seemed to be there more often than not. Since the incident with the Italian bird he hadn't bothered trying to get with anyone again. He just didn't have the heart to. So, instead he would come here and sit for hours. Sometimes he'd drink. Other times he'd just sit moodily in the far corner of the bar and stare off into space to try and pass the days. A lot of the time he'd mostly think about Noodle. He was still sore about everything, but he was coming to realize that this was much different than when he'd broken things off with Paula. Paula had rebelled and called him horrible things once she'd realized she couldn't sweet talk her way back in. She'd made him feel stomped on and insignificant. Noodle hadn't done that. She'd never once tried on purpose to make him feel like he hadn't been worth it. In fact, she almost seemed just as down if not worse off than he was right now. It was really bothering him because he was torn between his natural instincts to support her and the voice in the back of his head that kept him in fear of her betrayal. But that look she'd given him the day Russel had left… he just didn't know what to think.

On rare occasions when here, he would work on some music to try and distract himself from his restless thoughts. But even that was hard to focus on sometimes. He was actually almost done with the song he'd been working on for a while now, but something was still missing that he just couldn't put his finger on. It was almost like it was missing a whole verse – a small piece of the song's soul. It was as incomplete as he felt and it frustrated him to no end. Once fed up, he would grumble and fold it back up before stuffing it back in his wallet to try again later.

Every night he would go home around ten. It wasn't horribly late, but the house would always be completely still by the time he arrived. A few times he thought he could hear the detached sounding melodies floating through the house from the attic record player, but he was never brave enough to go look. He knew she was there, but he doubted that she'd want to be interrupted. So instead, he'd go to his room and down a couple pills and hope that his insomnia wouldn't hold out.

Russel had been true to his word and had called every few days or so. Things seemed to be going well in America and he alluded to the idea that the Americans rather liked their leader's rebellious nature so he'd used that to his advantage in their meetings. He'd often ask about how he and Noodle were doing and 2D's stomach would lurch each time he'd lied and said they were fine. From what Russ told him, Noodle was saying the same, so he wasn't alone in this deception. He missed the bigger man's company and often wished he'd just come back already, but he understood why Russ had to go and he wasn't about to make things worse by telling the truth of how he and guitarist were actively avoiding each other now. It just wouldn't have been right.

2D gave a small sigh of melancholy as he idly used his straw to play with an ice cube that had been floating along in his soda. He hoped he'd be able to come up with something to fix things soon. Despite what he'd told Noodle on that horrible night, he really didn't want to quit the band. And as much as he stubbornly avoided her, he really missed his best friend. But what to do, what to do…

He was suddenly jerked from his thoughts when someone uninvited plopped down across from him in his booth. He frowned, narrowing his eyes at his drink as he tried ignoring the presence, hoping the person would get the hint and piss off. But after a couple of minutes, it seemed obvious that the other person wasn't going to move anytime soon and he could feel the vibrations from the floorboards that signaled that his guest was jittering his leg under the table impatiently.

Finally 2D gave an annoyed sigh. " _Wot?_ " he snapped, looking up from his drink. Then he paused in shock as he realized just who was sitting across from him. " _You?_ I dun know wot made ya' think that I'd wanna talk ta' you bu' I don't, so ge' lost." 2D said rudely, as he scowled at the red-headed young man that was currently sitting in front of him. Jordan looked just as uncomfortable, but something in his face looked determined to make the other hear him out.

"I know you don't want to talk to me, but you will," he replied resolutely. When 2D grimaced and made a move to stand, the other man reached out to grab his arm in an effort to try and prevent him from leaving. "2D listen, this isn't about _me._ It's about _Noodle_. I know you probably don't want anything to do with me, but if you care about her even half as much as I think you do, you'll give me a chance." When the older man still looked unconvinced, Jordan sighed and gave him a meaningful expression. "Please? For Noodle?"

The singer sucked in a sharp gulp of air for a moment and closed his eyes in contemplation. Finally after a moment of internal struggle, he sat back down and wrenched his arm from the other man's grasp. "Fine. For Noodle," he agreed, continuing to glare. Mentally, he congratulated himself for not jumping across the table and taking everything out on the kid. 2D was not in nature a very violent person, but he felt that Jordan had seriously wronged him and taken away what he most cared about and loved.

"Good," the younger man gave a sigh of relief and then his blue eyed gaze softened into what the singer recognized as full-blown regret. "Look, Noodle doesn't know I'm here right now. I-I haven't talked to her since that night for obvious reasons, but you really need to know what happened. It wasn't what you think at all," he said in a rush, hoping that the blue haired man wouldn't lose his already thin patience with him. "I mean, we were just messing around…" he gulped a little, realizing that this didn't sound any better and backtracked a bit. "We were just hanging out for old time's sake while you guys were in the office. She told me she had a boyfriend, I just didn't have any idea it was you. I mean, I wasn't about to try anything either because she was obviously uncomfortable bu-"

"Hold up, slow down," 2D interrupted, putting his hands up to stop the other's rambling. He winced a little as the beginnings of a headache started to set in. "You're no' makin' any sense. Wot do you mean fo' ol' time's sake?"

A look of realization came over Jordan's face and much to 2D's surprise he gave out a small laugh. "You don't recognize me either; _incredible_. Though I guess part of that's my fault. I told her not to bring it up because I, well…" he realized he was rambling again and looked up at 2D with an embarrassed smile. "I'm lil' Jordi from the _Dirty Harry_ music video," he explained, then proceeded to pretend to pick his nose to jog the singer's scrambled memory.

2D's eyes widened in sudden recognition. "Holy shit," he muttered knitting his brows together as he thought over this piece of information. That would mean that this kid wasn't exactly a stranger then, but what was he trying to say?

"Yeah, it's me. But uh, well we just kind of bored waiting so Noodle mentioned she'd had some stuff and asked if I was game. I said I was," he paused and gave 2D a genuine look. "She really cares about you. She made it very clear that we were only hanging out and that she didn't want to betray her boyfriend."

"But what 'bout wot I saw?" 2D asked in exasperation. He was trying very hard to control his breathing as a ball of panic began to unravel in his disheveled mind. If he lost his composure now, he might never find out the truth. This opportunity was too important, no matter how painful it may be.

"What you saw was exactly like she said," Jordan continued, rubbing his neck nervously. "She'd found that purple cape that looked like the one Murdoc was always wearing and was pretending to be the queen," he chuckle a bit at the odd look on 2D's face. "She was pretty out of it. But anyways, she'd just declared the room as hers when she tripped and almost fell flat on her face. I had just enough sense to catch her when she kissed me on the cheek as a way to thank me. I honestly don't think it meant more than that. Like I said, she was very adamant that she had a boyfriend and she doesn't really strike me as the cheating type to be honest. You know what I mean?"

The singer had suddenly become very pale. No, before this he'd _never_ think that his little love was capable of what he'd thought he'd walked in on. His mind was going a million miles a minute as he tried very hard to recall every single detail of the night. He remembered how light and carefree she'd been before she'd noticed him. He could now clearly see the look of anguish and horror as she put two and two together almost as if she _knew_ the horrible images and thoughts his own mind was composing. Noodle knew him better than anyone; better than himself apparently.

"But I just had to find you," Jordan was saying, having not noticed the blue haired man going rigid in his seat. "I mean, I could tell how much you two obviously loved each other by how upset you both were. That look on your face… and then after you left she was completely inconsolable. It was all I could do to get her back upstairs to her bedroom without anyone noticing. I felt horri- Hey, wait! Where are you going?"

But 2D had heard enough. He tossed a few bills on the table and left as fast as his legs could carry him. When he made it outside, he began to hurry through his neighborhood in a run. How could he have been so stupid!? Of course Noodle would _never_ have cheated on him! He was the daft one for even daring to compare her to the sort of trash that Paula was. Oh god, and then he'd almost – _No_ , he couldn't think about that now. He was so overwhelmed with guilt he could barely see straight. He had to see her now and make things right or he knew it would be the biggest mistake he'd ever make.

He was completely out of breath by the time he made it to the house. He leaned heavily against the front of the door as he wheezed trying to catch his breath. Due to a mix of severe anxiety and years of smoking like a chimney, it took him a little longer than he'd have liked to gain his composure. His face was bright red and his skin was clammy when he finally pushed the door with all his might and began to run through the house with the grace of a rhino trying out for ballet.

Her room was empty when he arrived and he nearly shouted out in frustration. He finally knew the truth and she wasn't here? But she just had to be! He couldn't just roll over and give up on this. Not when they'd been through so much heartache already. Oh god, what would she even think when she saw him? So much pain and all over nothing. This was all his fault. There was no excuse for it.

Somewhere between his mental rant and feelings overload he'd paused in the hallway tugging at his hair and gritting his teeth to try and clear his mind so that he could think properly. Thank goodness he hadn't actually drank anything of note at the bar today or this would have been twice as hard. "C'mon, Stu" he pep-talked himself, trying to get his panting under control. "Think. _Think_ , you bloody bastard!"

And then it was as if the house suddenly sympathized with his dilemma. He slowly straightened his posture and looked up dumbly as a hauntingly familiar tune slowly made its way to his ears.

And suddenly he knew exactly where to look.

Meanwhile, Noodle found herself once again in the attic staring numbly at the spinning record player that she had once been so proud to share with her blue haired love. The collection had grown considerably since then with both of their records adding to the already impressive library. She'd found herself up here quite a lot these days. On some level this room brought her the comfort of happier times where she could imagine he was beside her enjoying the simple pleasures of take out dinners and good music. But mostly it brought her a considerable amount of grief as she thought about how quickly things had spiraled out of control and went wrong.

Though it had hurt, it had never been a shock to her that he had drawn to the wrong conclusions. She'd always understood the inner-working of his tattered mind better than he did at times. No, what bothered her was that she'd thought for certain that if they'd talked about it everything could have been resolved. She'd never realized just how badly scarred he was until she'd witnessed his hard resolve first hand. She'd been foolish to think that she could somehow get him to look past her short-comings to see the truth. She'd waited too long to make a move and that thought alone was enough to break her already fragile heart into tiny pieces.

She'd been blind to it until the day Russel had left them. She'd thought she'd had more time to glue the pieces together. But when she'd seen that hickey plain as day on his neck, she knew that she had lost. It was a realization that was very painful. She felt like she had put her entire life on the line when she'd perused him and she'd known it would be hard. But she just couldn't believe how careless and sloppy she'd been. This all could have been prevented if she'd just waited after the rehearsal for 2D and planned the nice day at the park with him that she'd thought of earlier that day. She should have never stolen that stuff from Murdoc and she certainly should have never let loose with another man.

It was with shaky hands that she opened the record player and put one of her least favorite records on the turn table. _Plastic Beach_ held so many horrible memories for her that it wasn't even funny. She understood why Murdoc had made the album, but she hated it all the same. It made her laugh bitterly to think of how he'd tried to replace her with that rusty replica. He'd even had to contract other singers to sound like what he'd thought she might've sounded like had she been there. She didn't care that he did it out of guilt, it had all been wrong on so many levels. Especially with what he'd done to poor, sweet Stu at the time. But right now all of the pain and sorrow of this album seemed to resonate deeply in her soul.

One song in particular seemed fitting

The sad, tropical notes that signaled the beginning of _To Binge_ filled the small attic and she let out a pained sigh as she practically deflated and sat heavily on the floor causing the record to skip a little.

" _Waiting by the mailbox, by the train…"_

She thought back to how long she'd waited and dreamed to be in 2D's arms. It was almost sad how perfectly planned out everything had been. She'd chosen him after all. He'd been the only one who she'd ever felt comfortable around. He'd always been so sweet and perfect always seeming to know just what she needed to feel better when she was down. Her mind flashed back to how understanding he'd been back when she'd been so vulnerable and broken all those years before.

She stifled a quiet sob she hadn't realized she'd been holding when his sorrowful lyrics joined her imposter's.

 _"I wait to be forgiven, maybe I never will._

 _My star has left me, to take the bitter pill._

 _That shattered feeling, well the cause of it's a lesson learned._

 _Just don't know if I could roll into the sea again._

 _Just don't know if I could do it all again she said, it's true."_

She honestly had no idea who Murdoc had originally written that song for. But in this moment, it reflected herself and 2D's tragic relationship nearly perfectly. Only their roles were reversed in her mind. She was the one who had driven him away and she was the one who wanted more than anything to beg for forgiveness. But if given the chance, would he ever take her back? Or, like her cyber twin alluded, would he stay aloof and forever questioning what could have been?

As her tears continued sliding down her cheeks, she closed her eyes and sang along. Her heart fluttering as the words leaving her lips seemed to pierce her very soul.

 _"But I just have to tell you, I love you so much these days._

 _Have to tell you I love you so much these days, it's true…"_

Her voice died in her throat as the thump of the trap door sounded behind her and she let out a gasp as her wet emerald eyes met his dark troubled ones. She felt lost in time as she watched him lift his tall form up from the entrance like she'd dreamed he would so many times. Once free, he reached out to her with a pained expression on his face.

" _Noodle,_ " his voice was barely a raspy whisper. But that one syllable had so much raw meaning behind it that she couldn't help but tremble as hope slowly began to worm its way into her heavily beating chest.

"2-2D?" she stuttered, gazing at him longingly as if afraid that she was seeing things.

"No," he shook his head, his brows furrowing with concentration as he took a couple steps forward. "No' 2D… _Toochi_." He said with a meaningful look. And suddenly she realized he _knew_ and had forgiven her. That was all she needed to suddenly launch herself at him, knocking him backwards as she clung to him for dear life. He released a painful grunt when his back collided with the hard wood floor, but couldn't be too bothered about it as he hugged her waist back just as tightly. Both of them stayed silent a moment, just holding one another as tight as they could as if the world would end if they let go. 2D buried his face into her dark purple hair and clamped his eyes shut as it suddenly hit him how badly he'd missed her and how much she meant to him. He put all of his love, fear, and guilt into that hug hoping she'd understand his message.

And she did.

As she relished in his familiar butterscotch scent with his lanky arms winded around her she suddenly felt a sense of elation. She looked up at him with a watery smile and pressed their lips together pouring all of her love and forgiveness into him. And just like that, the horrible storm cloud that had taken over her mind, body and soul began to clear and was replaced by the comfort and warmth that she so desperately needed.

"I missed you so much," she murmured against lips, still refusing to let go even when he leaned up to sit. She leaned her head against his chest as he continued to hold her close, and listened to his racing heartbeat.

"I was so stupid," he admitted, giving her a squeeze as he rested his head on top of her messy hair. "I was so stubb'n I coulda' lost you foreva'. I probably would've too if Jordy hadn' knocked some sense inta' me."

"Jordy?" she asked absently as she seemed to burrow against his chest. He smiled a little at her antics.

"Yeah, I ran into 'im at teh bar. Lil' bugga' wouldn't le' me alone until I agreed teh listen to 'im and I'm glad I did." He inhaled sharply and pulled away from her a little so that he could look at her properly. "Noodle, I shoulda' neva' put you froo all tha'. I _know_ you're noffin' like her. But in tha' moment…" he trailed off weakly.

She frowned a bit and placed a soothing hand on his cheek. "It wasn't all you, Toochi," she said with a sigh. "If I hadn't been so difficult and told you what was going on this would have never happened. I felt guilty because I knew how bad you felt about lying to the others so I pushed you away because of my own insecurities."

"Oh, love," he breathed, leaning in to kiss the tip of her nose. She scrunched it with a small giggle and mock-glared at him. "From now on, I'm no' gonna le' that stuff botha' me. I've learned me lesson. I'm no' gonna le' that get between us again. We'll tell 'em when we're ready, _if_ we're eva' ready."

"You really mean it?" she asked in surprise, looking him over for any signs of doubt.

"I mean it," he promised, looking determined. "I love you mo' than anyfing."

"Even more than your little vacuum friend?" she teased, though her left eye twitched at mentioning the other woman. Her expression quickly switched to amusement though at how comically horrified 2D looked as his arms stiffened around her.

"I _swear_ it din' go any further 'an that!" he defended, his eyes widening as he tried to explain in a panicked tone. "I mean I thought I was- but then I didn'! I couldn' cuz she jus' wosn't you an-" she took pity on him and cut off his ramblings with a finger against his lips.

"It's okay, Toochi. I understand," she said, biting her lip and looking down. "We've both done some pretty deplorable things lately…" she trailed off and then looked back at him earnestly. "But I really love you and want this to work. We can do this, I just know it! We just need to be more open and honest with each other."

"I c'n do that," he nodded before leaning in to capture her soft lips in another kiss. This one was slower and more savoring as if he was sampling his favorite slice of cake. When he opened his eyes again they were warm and seemed to bare his soul to her. "Noodle, will yeh be my girlfwiend again?"

"You betcha!" she grinned. And so they began again.

* * *

 **A/N:** This chapter was so hard to write. I kept writing and re-writing! But I wanted it to be perfect, so I hope I got it right. It was just as painful if not more so than for you guys to hold out on all of hose depressing break-up chapters! We've still got about four more chapters to go and then the epilogue.

 _To Binge_ is my favorite song on the _Plastic Beach_ album. It literally gives me chills each time I listen to it. There's just so much feeling in that song, you know? If you haven't seen it already, look up that song live. I promise it's very entertaining. Damon Albarn is extremely into it and at one point in the song he gets right up in Little Dragon's face and I swear to god you see a little glimmer of fear there. I don't think she knew quite how to respond to such a passionate man, lol. He deeeeefinitely put that little somethin-somethin' into that performance! I think it's even better that he obviously didn't notice her discomfort and just kept right on going like it was the most normal thing in the world. LOL.


	16. Chapter 16

**She's My Collar**

 _By: KKM_

Disclaimer: I do not own the Gorillaz or any related characters/songs. Gorillaz are © Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett.

* * *

 **Last Time:**

 _"It's okay, Toochi. I understand," she said, biting her lip and looking down. "We've both done some pretty deplorable things lately…" she trailed off and then looked back at him earnestly. "But I really love you and want this to work. We can do this, I just know it! We just need to be more open and honest with each other."_

 _"I c'n do that," he nodded before leaning in to capture her soft lips in another kiss. This one was slower and more savoring as if he was sampling his favorite piece of cake. When he opened his eyes again they were warm and seemed to bare his soul to her. "Noodle, will yeh be my girlfwiend again?"_

 _"You betcha!" she grinned. And so they began again._

* * *

 **Chapter 16: Ticker Tape**

2D's grin practically stretched ear to ear as he helped put the finishing touches on the livingroom. Things had been going great in the months since he and Noodle had gotten back together. They were a little rocky at first (for obvious reasons), but they'd stuck true to their words and with a lot of patience and understanding had been powering through their short-comings. In fact, 2D couldn't remember a time when he'd been so happy. Gone was the lingering pain and sorrow that had once hung over him like a damp blanket. Instead, he was filled with a carefree lightheartedness he hadn't felt since he was young.

Sticking his tongue out between his teeth in concentration, he carefully jabbed a thumbtack into the brittle plaster of the wall and stepped back to admire his handy work. He was in luck, he'd gotten the banner straight on the first try! He mentally congratulated himself and looked all around the room at the various bright-colored decorations and origami animals that were now gently swinging from the ceiling and beamed at the colorful room.

Today was a special day after all. Not only was Russel coming back from America today, but on his way home he was supposed to pick up a freshly released Murdoc. They'd finally be all together again. Even though he'd really enjoyed spending some much-needed quality time with his lil' love, he'd really missed his best mates. He missed how Russel used to always bustle around the kitchen and make sure that they were all well and taken care of. He also missed goofing off and getting in trouble with Murdoc. He didn't care if people on the outside didn't understand the dynamic of their dysfunctional little family. They had always brought out the best in one another.

"Toochi, can you help me for a minute?" Noodle's voice called out from the kitchen.

"Be there inna sec!" he called back, already halfway across the livingroom with a bit of a bounce in his step. When he entered the kitchen, he stopped in the doorway and looked around with his brow coked up in bemusement. "Wot's all'is?" he asked, scratching his head at the ridiculous amounts of liquor that was littering the countertops and tables. "Yeh tryin' the kill'em their firs' day back? I fink one o' two kinds woulda' been enough," he chuckled, moving further into the room and kissing her cheek as she was trying to mix a complicated looking cocktail. She gave him a playful snort of indignance and swatted him away so she could stir it properly without sloshing it.

"Oh, come on now. You know as well as I do that Murdoc will come through here like a typhoon the moment he sets eyes on his long lost love," she said sarcastically, batting her eyes for effect before eyeing the drink she'd just mixed critically. "Yes, we could just give him some rum and vodka, but where would the fun be in that? At least this way he can get pissed while drinking something new. Who knows maybe it'll improve his breath if we hook him on the fruity stuff early," she said only half joking.

"I s'pose," he shrugged before wrapping his arms around her from behind and resting his head on her shoulder as she continued to work. His dark eyes watched her movements in rapt fascination.

"And who said I asked you in here for that?" she smirked up at him, though he knew she didn't mind by how relaxed she'd suddenly became as she leaned back against him. "Are the decorations finished? What about the pizza?"

"All tha' stuff's done," he replied lazily, nuzzling his face against her throat as his fingers ghosted over her sides gently. "I jus' finished wit teh 'Welcome 'Ome' bannna' an' the pizza towa' is next teh the couch," he bobbed his head a little as he listed off his duties causing her nose to twitch a little as his blue hair tickled at her face.

She suddenly unwound herself from him with a graceful twirl and gave him a mischievous smile when he pouted at her. "None of that, they'll be here any moment. Now help me get all these drinks to the livingroom. And _don't spill any of it_ ," she said that last part with narrowed eyes as she picked up a tray full of mai-tais and other fruity drinks before leaving the room.

2D stuck his tongue out at her when she wasn't looking and then glanced down at the tray he was supposed to carry. This one looked just as interesting and colorful. Checking that she wasn't looking, he leaned down and took a sip of an innocent looking brown colored one. He immediately wished he hadn't as he sputtered nearly spitting out the evil concoction as his face turned red from the sheer ferocity of it.

Who the hell would mix Fireball and Rumplemintz in a drink and serve it to someone on purpose!? He blindly grasped at the small little written out card she'd placed next to it and read 'Masterblaster' through water eyes. "Mastahblastah my arse," he grumbled, tossing the drink down the sink with a glare. "Mo' li' def inna cup." He quickly sniffled and wiped at his eyes in an attempt to hide the evidence before quickly rearranging the tray to make it look like it had never been there.

"2D, are you coming?" he heard Noddle shout from the livingroom.

"Commin'!" he said with a bit of a squeak and then quickly grabbed the tray to join her. Luckily there were no casualties on the way so when he reached the coffee table, he helped her spread out all of the drinks so that they were easily accessible without trying to look too guilty.

"You okay?" the guitarist asked with a knowing look twinkling in her expressive eyes. He may have hid the evidence, but she could definitely see his red cheeks and even if she couldn't she could certintly _smell_ it. She stole a kiss to confirm her suspicions. "Hmmm, minty," she giggled, watching his face scrunch up in disgust. "What, you didn't like it?"

"No, it was 'orrible," he whined, pulling her toward them now that he didn't have to worry about any glasses tipping over. "I fink yeh almos' killed me."

"Well, we can't have that now, can we?" she teased about to lean forward when the doorbell suddenly rang causing them to jump apart in shock. "They're here!" she shouted excitedly, being the first one to recover as she ran up to the door with 2D close behind and threw it open to reveal a tired, but happy looking Russel and a slightly grumpy looking Murdoc with his arms crossed. She didn't even give them time to react as she threw herself at them with a strong hug. "Missed you!"

Murdoc let out a raspy cry of shock almost falling backwards if Russel hadn't been behind him to keep him steady. His hard resolve melted almost immediately as he hugged her back before giving her a somewhat awkward pat on the head. "S'nuff o' that, girly," he chuckled as she released him. Then he turned his attention to 2D who was bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet as if trying to restrain himself. "Tha' fuck're you doin? Get ova' 'ere," Murdoc demanded and like the overgrown child he was 2D immediately engulfed him in a hug causing the older man to roll his eyes. "Satan, you're pathetic. You know tha' Tusspot?"

When it became clear that the lanky singer didn't plan on releasing him anytime soon, he lightly sucker-punched him in the gut and ducked out of his arms. "OooOOOooo, piña colada. Lovely," he purred, ignoring the kicked puppy look the blue haired man was throwing him for the wide selection of beverages that were suddenly in his eyesight. He wiggled his finger in anticipation before happily serving himself with a content sigh.

"Tosser," 2D muttered with a wince. Honestly, Muds hadn't hit him all that hard; just enough to make the other man release him. But still, that was mean. He shook his head in amusement, still rubbing the spot where the older man had jabbed him before he turned back to Russel and smiled.

Russel currently had his beefy arms wrapped around Noodle with a peaceful look on his face as he allowed her to practically squeeze him to death. Finally she muttered something to him in Japanese before kissing his cheek and releasing him with a happy look on her face that made her seem years younger as she walked passed them to see how Murdoc was enjoying her homemade drinks.

"'D! How you been, man?" Russel asked, thumping the thin man on the back so hard he almost knocked him over like a ragdoll. "Whoops," he laughed as he looked over the other man. He was happy to note that the tired bags around the singer's eyes seemed smoother and he wasn't as pale and frail looking as he'd ben when the drummer had left. "You look good! Finally over that gurl, huh?"

"Fanks!" 2D grinned at him before laughing the last part of his comment away. "Yeh, go' that all straightened ou'. I feel lika' new man fanks teh Noodle's help."

As the singer spoke, Russel's milky gaze landed on the girl who was now laughing at the disgusted look on their leader's face as she'd tricked him into trying one of her more inventive mixes. His lips turned up in a pleased sort of way as he noticed that she too looked much more healthy and lively. For the longest time he knew that she'd been having a harder time with everything than she'd let on so it was nice to see her finally in good spirits. He'd been very worried for both of them while he'd been away, but it seemed like everything had worked out for the best. "Yeah, she's pretty coo' like that," he said proudly. Then he noticed the boxes stacked next to the couch and his eyes lit up. "Awwww yeah, pizza! Tha's what I'm talkin' about!"

Once everyone had a chance to eat a bit and relax, thy started going around the room telling each other what they'd been up to in the months they'd been apart. Russel went first as he assured them that everyone was still on board for the new album. He also filled them in on the crazy shenanigans that was going on in the American election. "Politics, man," he shuddered. "That kinda' shit makes me glad I live over here. I honestly have no idea how that's gonna work out, but either way it didn't seem good."

"We'll 'ave teh keep an eye on it," Murdoc suggested with a thoughtful look. "Much as I dun care 'bout their elections we might be able to use somethin' teh make a statement. Memba' tha' song we did wi' Benjamin? Wouldn' they just shit if we released tha' right before the big day regardless of who gets it?" he mused, getting that look on his face that signaled he was plotting something.

"Hmmmn, yeah that could work," Russel replied absently, rubbing his chin. Noodle and 2D shared a look of boredom. They seldom cared for discussions like this.

"So, Murdoc," Noodle started, trying to change the subject. "How was prison this time? No black market explosives this time, I hope."

"Heeeey," he growled, narrowing his mismatched eyes at her. "No there wasn't, thank ye very much. Nah, mostly kept to me-self this time. Though it wasn't half bad out in tha' yard. Bloody morons couldn't understan' why they kept getting attacked by crows. It was fuckin' hilarious," he grinned evilly. "Then I may have done somethin' to provoke a poltergeist at some stupi' cunts who thought they could ge' the best me. Let's just say tha' they won't be botherin' anyone anymore…" he trailed off with a gleeful look in his eyes.

"Riiiiiiight," 2D twitched nervously tapping his fingertips together as he tried to search his foggy mind for a subject change but came up blank. He ended up staring off with a pained look on his face as he forgot what he was trying to think about.

Russel shook his head in amusement; still the same old 2D, that was for sure. He turned his focus to Noodle who was nibbling at a pizza crust. "So, what have you guys been up to while we've been gone?"

"Oh, um not much really," Noodle replied with a shrug, tossing what was left into the empty pizza box. She silently kicked 2D's leg hard beside her causing him to yelp and blink stupidly at them.

"I've been workin' onna new song!" he supplied, successfully removing their attention from her as they stared at him with interest. "S'not finished yet. But I'm hopin' it will be soon," he said proudly.

"Is that so?" Murdoc asked him doubtfully. 2D was already dazing off with a weird grin on his face, probably thinking about the song again. Or maybe day dreaming about his inspiration for the song. Either way, Murdoc didn't seem pleased about being ignored so he tipped over a glass of ice on top of the vacant man's head and laughed out loud as the singer started flailing around trying to shake out he cold ice cubes that had just slid down his shirt. This only succeeded in getting everyone wet.

"Oi!" 2D gasped, grabbing some leftover pizza and smashing it into the bassist's face in retaliation. Everyone froze in surprise at the action and waited in tense silence for the older man's reaction.

A slow predatorial grin split the Satanist's face and that was all it took.

No one was sure who grabbed for what first. All four of them were grabbing and throwing anything they could get their hands on in probably the messiest and stickiest food fight they'd ever been a part of. Nothing was safe! Not even the decorations as melted cheese and pepperonis went flying in all directions. Something about them all being together finally after so long had broke them into this adrenaline-fueled madness and not one of them could find a reason to be mad about it.

When they'd finally ran out of ammo, 2D and Noodle had found themselves bunkered behind the couch while Murdoc had knocked over the coffee table to use as a shield and Russel had unsuccessfully tried to hide behind an armchair. They looked around the room and burst out laughing. They hadn't done anything this ridiculous with each other since they'd lived together at Kong.

"Well, I betta ge' this shit offa' me so I c'n get some rest," Murdoc said, stretching his hands high above his head causing his back to pop a little. "Mmn, a real bed," he mumbled to himself.

"Uh, yeah. Imma need a shower fo' sure," Russel chucked, scratching the back of his head. There was a peperoni stuck to his forehead, but he either didn't seem to mind or couldn't feel it as he turned to start for the stairs.

Noodle looked around the room, biting her lip a bit. "Maybe we should clean this up tomorrow," she suggested.

"Mo' cleaning?" 2D groaned, slouching against the back of the couch with an exhausted frown.

"Well, on tha' note I'm out," Murdoc said, heading to the door. There was no way he was about to get roped into cleaning when he'd just gotten back.

Noodle sighed and rolled her eyes as she tugged 2D away from the pizza massacre. "C'mon, Toochi. Let's get you all cleaned up."

Though they did clean the livingroom the next day, the smell of pizza never did quite come out of the carpet. 2D had found it hilarious and started drawing little comics of the pizza phantom he told them was haunting the _Spirit House_. He never realized until later that Murdoc had swiped one of them and wouldn't know about it until a couple of weeks later when their leader announced their upcoming trip to Jamaica.

* * *

 **A/N:** This chapter was meant to be a bit silly but also showing how everything is slowly being pieced back together. We'd had so many depressing chapters that I wanted the reunion to be fun and light-hearted. The rest will be more serious and fitting I suppose.

The next chapter will take place when the band went to Jamaica to record with Popcaan. The next chapter will also be the last chapter that takes place in the past so it will kind of full circle to where we were in the present.

Enjoy!


	17. Chapter 17

**She's My Collar**

 _By: KKM_

Disclaimer: I do not own the Gorillaz or any related characters/songs. Gorillaz are © Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett.

* * *

 **Last Time:**

 _"Mo' cleaning?" 2D groaned, slouching against the back of the couch with an exhausted frown._

 _"Well, on tha' note I'm out," Murdoc said, heading to the door. There was no way he was about to get roped into cleaning when he'd just gotten back._

 _Noodle sighed and rolled her eyes as she tugged 2D away from the pizza massacre. "C'mon, Toochi. Let's get you all cleaned up."_

 _Though they did clean the livingroom the next day, the smell of pizza never did quite come out of the carpet. 2D had found it hilarious and started drawing little comics of the pizza phantom he told them was haunting the Spirit House. He never realized until later that Murdoc had swiped one of them and wouldn't know about it until a couple of weeks later when their leader announced their upcoming trip to Jamaica._

* * *

 **Chapter 17: Andromeda**

" _NOODLE, SLOW DOOOOOOWWWWN!_ " 2D screeched as he held onto her narrow waist as tight as he could with his long, lanky arms. He didn't even care that he was screaming like a prepubescent girl; this was terrifying! Whose wise idea had it been to let this girl get a motorcycle license in the first place?

They were currently weaving in and out of traffic at the speed of light down one of Jamaica's busy narrow streets. Yesterday the band had spent all day getting acquainted with and recording with Popcaan. 2D had really liked the easy going man and had greatly enjoyed hanging out with him all day. He really had a unique and attention-grabbing voice that was hard to ignore. It was almost hypnotic when combined with Russel's beats. However, this morning Murdoc had decided that he wasn't quite happy with some of the sessions they'd done so he and Russ had gone back again today. Since Noodle and 2D's parts had already been recorded to their leader's satisfaction, they hadn't been required to tag along. This was fine to them of course since they hadn't had a chance to sight-see yet. Plus it was a good chance to enjoy themselves without getting caught.

They'd already had a pretty busy morning so far. First they had spent a couple of hours bumming on the beach before it got too busy. Noodle had tried to get away with only laying on the beach to tan, but Stu had put an end to that rather quickly by plucking an abandoned sand castle bucket from the sand and filling it to the brim with cool, salty water. She'd been lying there innocently in a little yellow polka-dot bikini and a pair of giant heart-shaped sunglasses. He'd taken great joy in sneaking up on her from behind and dumping the bucket on her head.

To say she'd been mad was an understatement. She'd chased him all the way down the beach and had finally managed to tackle him when he'd nearly lost his balance due to a particularly strong current that had splashed at the shore. From there, they'd had a pretty exciting splash fight slapping as much water at each other while trying to dunk each other when possible. When they were tired, they'd dried off and lounged for a bit. 2D had made her laugh when he'd found a couple of sand dollars and stuck them over his eyes with a goofy grin. She'd flicked his nose causing them to fall away and laughed at the pouty look on his face before swooping in for a kiss and leaning against his chest to relax.

Once the beach had started to get busy, they'd decided to explore the outdoor market place. There were hundreds of tables and booths lining the boardwalk as far as the eye could see. By the time they'd finished looking, they'd picked up several little knickknacks. Both of them were now wearing homemade rastacaps. 2D was wearing a rainbow colored one while Noodle had picked out one that had black, red, and yellow stripes on it. 2D had also found a table that sold little painted dragons that were made to clip on your shoulder. Noodle had been pretty sure that there was nothing remotely Jamaican about them, but he'd already fallen I love with a little purple and green one he'd found with glitter so they'd went ahead and gotten it. Noodle had found a booth that had some pretty cool handmade instruments. She'd picked out a neat looking pan flute for herself and a few hand drums for Russel. Later on they'd even found a couple of voodoo dolls that they thought for sure Murdoc might like.

Once they'd finished their shopping they'd stopped at a street cart to enjoy a plate of jerk chicken together and some little bammies before heading back to their hotel to put their things away. Noodle had asked 2D if he any ideas of what else they could do for the day since it was still early afternoon and the boys weren't back yet. He'd simply smiled at her and dug through his suitcase before proudly pulling out a scrap of paper with an address to an undisclosed location. He'd completely ignored her questioning about where this was to which had led to their current excursion. Noodle was both excited and curious to see what the singer had planned for them, but at the same time she was slyly extracting her revenge as she weaved through the heavily populated streets. It wasn't like back in England where it was mostly cars you had to worry about. In Jamaica they had a bit of everything in their roads. While there were definitely still cars and old taxis, there were also bicycles, and people moving in all different directions. This is what really made her driving all the more terrifying for the poor singer.

When they'd finally made it to the outskirts of the town, it was with shaky legs that the blue haired man finally slid off the bike and released her from his death grip. "Oh, gawd," he mumbled, leaning over as if he was seriously thinking about kissing the ground. "Neva' have I been so 'appy teh walk. Neva' again…"

"Aw, cheer up. We still have to drive back too, you know," Noodle teased with a wink, laughing when he grumbled and looked positively green around the gills. Smiling, she looked around their surroundings curiously. They were in an area with lush green jungle leads that skirted around the edges. The only thing that she received as a possible clue was a little wooden sign at the edge of the jungle that said "Edge of the World – This Way" with a beaten up looking dirt path that seemed to cut its way through the leads. "Um, where are we? Are you sure this is safe?"

"Hmn?" 2D hummed absently, his mind going blank as he stared at the sign. A hand waived in front of his face and he blinked, shaking himself out of his stupor. "Ah, yes. This's it! C'mon befo' we're too late."

"But Toochi, what abou-" but she didn't get to finish her questioning as he'd grabbed her wrist with a grin and led her onto the dirt footpath. She bit her lip a bit, but followed him closely. She knew that she'd be able to defend them if anything tried to attack them but she still felt a little uncomfortable about this. However, with how pleased his face looked she could tell that he'd put a lot of thought into this so she would humor him for now.

Finally they reached the end of the path and her eyes widened as they came to a clearing that led to the edge of a cliff that seemed to overlook all of Jamaica in its beauty. From here she felt like she could see every mountain, tree, and stream. This was one of those beautiful areas that for the most part they'd left untouched by man and her breath caught in her throat as it hit her just how massive this place was.

"C'mon, love. This way," 2D gently tugged her over to where a man was standing about ten feet away. He was standing by a large wooden tower that seemed to have a cable strung from the top of the platform to somewhere deep into the jungle.

"Toochi, is that-?" she asked, her face breaking out into an excited grin as she suddenly seemed to understand. Her eyes were sparkling with the need for adventure. "I didn't even know you liked stuff like this," she said, giving him a warm look as she squeezed his hand.

"Well, to be 'onest, I dun know if I'll like it o' not," he admitted, running a nervous hand through his messy hair as he looked down at her with pink cheeks. "Bu' I knew you'd li' it, so I thought I'd give it a try. When we was back at teh 'otel I too' what I needed though. I'll be okay," he promised, stealing a quick kiss before approaching the waiting man.

Noodle and 2D listened closely as the man explained the rules and how to properly work the harness. Somehow they'd talked him into letting them use the dual ones that were really meant for parents to go with their children. Since they were both so skinny, they were able to fit into them just fine and soon 2D found himself shaking like a leaf with his arms around Noodle while she was harnessed with her back to his chest.

"You sure about this?" she asked in amusement, very aware of how terrified he now was. She felt his Addams apple bob behind her as he gulped and tried to force himself to stand still.

"Yeah, I mean we're here an' I know you'll like 'is," he reasoned, sounding more and more like he was trying to convince himself by the minute.

"We can always turn around and do something else. Or if you really want me to, I can go and you can stay here and wait for me?" she suggested, trying to offer him an out. But he seemed to gain some resolve and she felt him shake his head vigorously.

" _No_. I sai' I'd do this an' I-AAAAAIIIIIIIIHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" While he'd been in mid-answer, Noodle had jerked them forward hard and the ground was no longer under his feet as they zoomed forward at a horrible speed. He could hear Noodle laughing as he'd actually been so scared he'd winded his legs around her too as h screamed down through the jungle side with his eyes clamped shut. After a few seconds he chanced an eye open as gasped as the beautiful scenery rushed by them. He loosened his grip only slightly as he rested his chin against her shoulder the rest of the way down, watching the joyful look on her face as they went.

Noodle was in cloud nine! She was on such an adrenaline rush that it didn't even bother her when 2D's arms and legs had nearly squeezed the life out of her. She'd always loved dangerous stunts like this. And the view made it all the better. At one point they'd even passed under a light waterfall. It was simply magical and breathtaking. She was almost sad when they reached the bottom where they were slowed to a stop and stumbled to regain their balance from their airborne adventure.

"Toochi, that was amazing!" she exclaimed, when they were finally released from their binds and she launched herself at him with an over-excited hung. Luckily a tree behind him prevented him from falling over this time but he still swayed clumsily in an effort to balance them before she slid off of him.

"Gla' you liked it, love." He said with a wobbly grin. "Now, if ya' don't mind, let's find somefing mo'… stable ta' do."

Later that night when they'd returned to civilization, they found themselves having dinner at a little reggae club that wasn't too far from their hotel. The live performances here were very good and it was fun to watch the locals really getting into the music. They couldn't help but bob along with the beat as they enjoyed their meal.

"Sooooo," Noodle began after swallowing a forkful of food. "How's that song coming along that you were telling Murdoc about?" she asked curiously. "I don't think I've ever actually seen you work on it, now that I think of it." She watched him closely in fascination as an almost guilty look flashed across his face.

"Well…" he trailed off, taking a sip of his drink before fumbling around with something in his back pocket. He took out his wallet and fished out some paper that had been tugged between the folds. He placed it on the table before eyeing it cautiously as if it might bite him. "I've been workin' on it awhile now, but I'm no' so sure if I wanna' share it wif 'im or no'." When she gave him another questioning look he sighed and gave her a more meaningful look. "I wrote it when I wos angry an' it's no' all that nice. Either way it wouldn' work cuz it's missing somefing and I can't figa' it out."

She gave him a thoughtful look before reaching out and grasping the paper folds between her nimble fingers. Her eyes quickly scanned his barely legible handwriting and her features took on a pensive look. "This is about us." It was a statement, not a question. "But, it's good. _Real_ good," she told him, looking up at him with serious eyes. "You have to show this to them, Toochi."

"You fink so?" he asked, nervously scratching his neck. "Bu' wouldn' that be a bit dangerous? They'd _know_ , Noodle. S'not even finished ye' anyways."

"Hum it to me." She said suddenly.

"Wot?" he asked stupidly. Surely she didn't want him to sing to her in the middle of this noisy restaurant. But when she simply arched her brow at him, he resigned himself with a sigh and looked around a moment before leaning close and singing the charged and somewhat spiteful lyrics into her ear. She looked thoughtful as he sang, following along with the words on the page before nodding to herself.

"I know what it's missing. Hand me that pen," she said, motioning to the pen the waitress had left with their bill. Once he did, she quickly scribbled her own lyrics down onto the tattered page with her tongue sticking out in concentration. When she was done, she passed it back to him to read over and his eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"No way," he said firmly, looking back up at her. "I'll be a dead man befo' the morning's up if we give 'em somefing li' this."

"You don't like it?" she asked innocently.

" _Noodle_ ," he groaned in exasperation. "I fink it works perfectly, bu' tha's no' teh point. They aren't slow o' stupid. They'll know _exactly_ wot this means if we give this to 'em."

"That's the point," she said confidently before taking his cheeks into his hands. "Stu, last time we tried to hide this, I nearly lost you because of my own blindness to your feelings. I can't do that again. Don't you want to know what it's like to be free? To not sneak around? Murodc and Russel are all we've got. They _will_ find out eventually whether we tell them or not."

"Yeah, I guess," he replied, looking somewhere between confused and glum. Yes he wanted everything to work out, but he also didn't want to die. Living had become something he was rather impartial to after all and since they'd been back from _Plastic Beach_ all those years ago he'd done very well to stay out of the way of any forms of bodily harm.

"Look, I love you and I want them to see that," she soothed him. "Don't you love me?"

"O'course," he said quickly, his dark eyes looking slightly offended by the question. "You know I do."

"Then what's the problem?" she asked him before leaning in for a lingering kiss. He opened his mouth slowly as he felt her tongue tickling to taste him. He was slightly dazed when she leaned back with a mischievous smile. "We'll do it when we get back to England. Just leave everything to me."

* * *

 **A/N:** So, the beginning of this chapter is loosely based off a radio interview that Damon Albarn did where he said he spent a whole day hanging out in Jamaica with Popcaan. But the next morning he hadn't been quite pleased with it so he'd went back for round two and _Saturnz Barz_ was born.

I thought it might be nice to have a whole chapter dedicated to Noodle and 2D enjoying themselves on a little date while on vacation. To be honest, I have never used a zipline before, so hopefully that was kinda' accurate? I've also never been to Jamaica, but I have been to the Bahamas so I leaned very heavily on my experiences I had there to describe the scenery. The rastacap that 2D ends up with is the same one I bought at the marketplace I went to when I was there.

This chapter brings everything back full circle and now we can see how they got from where they were to the beginning of this story. I am sorry to say that I miscounted the other day when I quoted how many chapters are left. There is one chapter and an epilogue to go.

The next chapter we will finally get to see Grace Jones. How _did_ Russel get her to agree to come back? Stick around!


	18. Chapter 18

**She's My Collar**

 _By: KKM_

Disclaimer: I do not own the Gorillaz or any related characters/songs. Gorillaz are © Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett.

* * *

 **Last Time:**

" _Yeah, I guess," he replied, looking somewhere between confused and glum. Yes he wanted everything to work out, but he also didn't want to die. Living had become something he was rather impartial to after all and since they'd been back from Plastic Beach all those years ago he'd done very well to stay out of the way of any forms of bodily harm._

 _"Look, I love you and I want them to see that," she soothed him. "Don't you love me?"_

 _"O'course," he said quickly, his dark eyes looking slightly offended by the question. "You know I do."_

 _"Then what's the problem?" she asked him before leaning in for a lingering kiss. He opened his mouth slowly as he felt her tongue tickling to taste him. He was slightly dazed when she leaned back with a mischievous smile. "We'll do it when we get back to England. Just leave everything to me."_

* * *

 **Chapter 18: Circle of Friendz**

2D's eyes were narrowed in concentration as he very careful shouldered open the front door with two glasses of fresh orange juice sloshing around in his oversized hands. Very carefully he somehow managed to squeeze about halfway through when the door smacked him in the face causing him to sputter. Surprisingly, he didn't drop the beverages so he gave a loud sigh of relief and turned his head to the side before quickly jerking his body through. He nearly tripped over his own rather large clumsy feet before he straightened with a proud grin as he admired his handy work. Half of each wasn't a bad save in his opinion.

"Hello," a rather annoyed voice commanded his attention causing him to look up blankly. " _Excuse me._ Yes, you there. Help me with all of these bags, would you?"

A rather tall and intimidating woman with plum colored skin was standing on the front porch having just lugged some of her equipment up the small wooden stairs. She was as beautiful as she was terrifying with her distinct high cheekbones and artfully cut flat top. She was wearing a rather loud looking black and yellow pantsuit with shoulder pads that came to an abrupt point. Between carrying her things and her wardrobe, she must have been slightly put out because her forehead sparkled with a small sheen of sweat.

" _Well?"_ she tsked, standing at her full height with her arms crossed. "You gonna stand all day lika' bump onna log or are ya' gonna help me?" she asked, hints of her Jamaican accent cutting through as she grew more agitated.

2D looked from her to the drinks in both of his hands and then back again. "Um, well I wooooould help, bu' meh hands'r full," he said with an apologetic shrug of his shoulders, a small and nervous looking smile tugging at his lips.

"You're kidding…" she stared back in disbelief, but when he didn't make any further move to help her she threw her arms up in frustration realizing that he wasn't kidding in the slightest. " _Unbelievable._ I finally get convinced to come all the way over here and you can't- Oh, for heaven's sake just _put the glasses down!_ "

"Bu' then how's Noodle supposed teh ge' 'er drink?" he asked innocently, obviously no realizing how already visibly upset she was by the whole thing.

Luckily he was saved from certain demise when Russ opened the front door behind him with a pleasant smile on his face. "Grace! 'Bout time you got here, sista'!" he greeted jovially, sidestepping his gangly friend to offer a friendly hug to their guest. She graciously returned it with a much softer look on her face.

"Ah, Russ the pleasure it all mine," then her turned and arched a concerned brow in the direction of the singer. "No thanks to him, though," she added with a snort.

"Who, him?" Russel asked, grabbing the majority of her things as he began to make his way back to the door again. "2D's harmless, just a bit slow is all," he said good-naturedly. "Isn't that right, 'D?"

"Hm, wot?" 2D blinked, looking a bit confused. His mind was still preoccupied on his need to protect the orange juice. Russel's laugh boomed heartily as he shook his head and went back inside.

"Well, at least you're not as bad as Murdoc I suppose," Grace muttered, stalking past him. One of her pointy shoulder pads accidentally grazed his shoulder, nearly making him knock over the juice again but he'd somehow managed to balance on one leg with his eyes narrowed at the sloshing liquid.

"Pleasure teh meet you, Miss Jones!" he called after her as she disappeared through the door. When he thought it was safe to move again, he let out a sigh of relief and walked down the wooden steps of the porch and curved around to the side of the house with a bit of a bounce in his step. "Oi, Noods, I go' us some juice!"

Noodle was stretched out in one of two lawn chairs that had been set up at the side of the old house. She was wearing a black and red striped bikini with red horn-rimmed sunglasses and a big black sun hat to keep her scalp from sun-burning. When she heard her lover's voice she sat up a little bit and tilted her sunglasses down a little so she could see him better. "I can see that," she laughed, her green eyes twinkling in amusement as she took in his appearance.

He was wearing more of the orange juice now than he was protecting; wet spots were all over his pants and shirt. The bruising was finally going down on his face from the week before when they'd told Russ and Murdoc and were now just barely noticeable. His happy-go-lucky nature had returned and his smiles were constantly infectious as of late. She could tell that he was a lot happier than he'd been in a while now that they didn't have to hide anything from their best friends.

"Thanks Toochi," she said gratefully as she took the glass he offered her. Then she watched as he plopped down into his own lawn chair with a cheerful sigh before taking a big gulp of his drink. "You took so long, I nearly thought you'd forgotten," she admitted, enjoying her own. The cool liquid running down her throat felt wonderful in contrast to such a hot day.

"Nah, I'd neva' forget 'bout you," he said sweetly, giving her a flirtly wink that made her blush a little. "Actually, I jus' ran inta' Grace Jones. I dun fink she cared fo' me much tho'. She asked fer me ta' help're carry some stuff but me hands were full. Right scary tha' was," he added absently, now having the time to think back at how furious he'd made her. Then he shook it off with another laugh. "S'pose tha' means Muds'll want us soon fo' the recordin'."

"Most likely," she agreed with a nod before standing and stretching a bit, unintentionally giving him a rather nice view of her toned body. He forgot all about the orange juice as his eyes remained glued to her barely clad form. Finally she looked down at him through hooded eyes and he nearly gulped at the sight. "Guess we better get ready then, huh?" she asked, her voice slightly husky before she smirked and started to walk away, effectively breaking the trance she held over him.

"Hey wait!" he called after her, jumping up and running to catch up with her.

"Have you been practicing your lines?" she asked as they entered the house and began to trek up the steps that led to their respective bedrooms.

"Oh yeah," he promised with a slightly mischievous glint in his dark eyes. "Ol' Muds is gonna 'ave a right fit when 'e sees it."

"That good, huh?" she asked with an impressed look in his direction as she opened her door before turning back to him and lifting up to wrap her arms around his tall shoulders.

"Mhmn," he hummed back absently as he quickly returned the favor, pulling her flush against him before bending down to reward her with a sweet kiss. He could feel her smiling against his lips, making his heart skip a beat as he thought about how perfect they were together. Finally he allowed her to pull away as they shared a warm look with each other.

Somewhere downstairs they could hear the Satanist calling for them to hurry the fuck up.

"Well, our glorious leader has summoned us," Noodle rolled her eyes with a wry grin. "I better get dressed. You should change too, Toochi."

He looked down at his splotchy clothes and sweat dropped before running his hand through his hair in embarrassment. "Noticed tha' didja?" he chuckled before watching as she gave him a cheeky wave and disappeared into her room. The last thing he saw before the door closed was a weird looking potted plant on a table near her door that looked strangely like… He shuddered and walked away deciding not to dwell on it.

A short time later had the whole band in the recording studio. They had decided to record the main vocals first as they had pre-recoded a demo of the background music earlier in the day. 2D and Grace Jones were in a special sound absorbent room that was designed to magnify their voices. They each had different types of microphones situated in front of them. The one in front of Grace was designed to make her voice echo with power while his was of the more normal variety. The rest of the band was looking into the room through a glass window.

Noodle couldn't help but notice that Stu looked a bit more jittery than normal. He kept swaying on the balls of his feet and playing with his mic in an almost antsy fashion. Grace Jones simply looked bored. Every now and then she'd glare at the little window giving the impression that if she could, she'd be as far away as possible from their 'loveable' green leader. Murdoc was only egging this behavior on as he caught her eye and blue her a rather flamboyant kiss before giving one of his gravely chuckles that showed his discolored pointy teeth.

Finally, when they were all ready Murdoc pressed a button that acted as an intercom. "Alrigh' let's begin!"

On cue the string music began to slice through the room with just as much charge as the title promised.

 _"I am da' ghooost!"_ Grace began before following it up with a haunting cackle. " _Provocative"_ she laughed, _"Das what I want!"_ As she finished her line, 2D suddenly gave her a goofy grin causing her to tilt her head curiously. But as he began to sing, it became clear what his game plan was.

 _A Cha-Chaa'ga!_

 _Everythin' is supposed ta' get in,_

 _I jus' dun' know where Imma gettin' frooooom-uh._

 _A Cha-chaa'ga!_

 _What is tha' cause of it an',_

 _Well, in tha' case how do ya' know s'in yer owwwwn-uh._

 _A Cha-Chaa'ga"_

As he was singing he was acting out each lyric with a rather provocative dance as if he'd taken the lyrics to heart. In fact, when he let out a playful grunt at the end of each line he would jerk his head to the side and shake his hips. He was getting so into it, that by the time it was Grace's turn to go she was giving him a rather appraising look as an amused smile began to form on her lips.

 _"Okay,"_ she gave a soft laugh into the microphone, _"Yeah, okay."_

By the end of the song, they were both so into it, that they'd nearly forgotten that they Were recording as 2D continued to tease them all with his flippant vocals and Grace acted as the powerhouse that brought the electrifying song full-circle.

When they came to a stop and looked toward the others expectantly, they were met with three completely different yet equally shocked faces. Murdoc's mouth was open a little as his eyebrows kept twitching as if he wasn't sure if he should be furious or kiss them, Russel's jaw was dropped in shock and his eyebrows had nearly risen so high it was a wonder that they were still attached to his face, and Noodle was gazing at her blue haired singer with such a molten look of lust that he almost wondered if she was about to kidnap him and have her way.

"W-well," 2D started, his cheeks now fairly rosy as he wrenched his eyes away from Noodle and looked anxiously at the others. "Wot you think?"

"I think," Murdoc started as he opened the door to let them into their sound booth, "That of you keep tha' shit up there won't be a dry pair o' panties in the place if these two're anythin' to go by." He smirked as his lewd comment had the desired affect and two very irritated women smacked him at the same time making him chuckle.

"Russel, I think I'll be taking my payment now," Grace growled as the big man backed away to give her some room with a grimace on her face.

"Wot payment? I thou-" the greasy-haired bassist never got to finish his sentence as a very strong knee connected with his balls _hard_ causing him to topple over and roll around on the ground with a pained yelp.

"Ah, that felt good," Grace smirked, popping her neck lightly before heading out of the room. "I'll see you guys upstairs. I was promised one of these famous Hobbs dinners I've heard so much about."

"You all right, man?" Russel asked, leaning over Murdoc's trembling form. He sighed and helped the older man roll over on his back, but them was slightly disturbed at the pained grin on their leader's face. "What the fuck, dude? You actually _liked_ that? You go' some problems," he said in disgust as he took a step back and watched in morbid fascination as the older man picked himself up and dusted himself off with wobbly legs.

"Think we c'n get 'er teh do tha' again before the night's up?" Murdoc joked, his long tongue dangling lazily from his mouth.

"Whatever, I'm stayin' out of yo' cracker-ass games this time. Don' come complainin' to me when yo' ass winds up back in the pokey again."

"The pokey?" Murdoc asked in amusement. "Is tha' wot you yanks call it? Even I think tha's a bit fucked up."

"It is what it is. I don't make up that shit," Russ said with a shrug, now also grinning as he turned toward the good. "Alright, y'all. Let's go have some brisket!"

"Yessss, think wit your stomach Laaards. Le' teh carbs guide you." Murdoc snickered only to be flipped off as the bigger man made his exit. Then he turned his mismatched eyes to the couple who'd been silently watching in amusement. "Well? Wha' the fuck're you lot still doin' down here? You heard the man, let's eat!"

"Holy shit," 2D muttered as they watched him exit without so much as a punch. "I can' believe it. I got away with it!"

As Noodle giggled conspiringly with him she suddenly had the realization that they really did have the best friends. In that moment of banter she released they'd finally been accepted. They were finally free.

With that in mind they went hand in hand up to the kitchen to enjoy some dinner with their loved ones.

* * *

 **A/N:** Ever since I saw the live 2D/Murdoc interview I've wanted to include the Grace Jones story in a fanfic. It was just so funny and I can completely imagine why she'd be frustrated by such a silly excuse as "my hands are full with orange juice." It made me laugh.

The whole kicking Muds in the dick thing is apparently one of Murdoc's fetishes. There was an Instagram interview where it was mentioned that it was Murdoc's dream to get kicked in the crotch by her so I decided to be a good little fan and grant his wish, lol.

The last reference was something that I'm not sure everyone caught. 2D saw something in Noodle's room that disturbed him. This is actually a tip off to Cyborg Noodle. Repeatedly over the past year it has been insinuated on Gorillaz's twitter page that Cyborg Noodle's head is all that remains and it is being used as Noodle's favorite flower pot.

I know that I didn't get many reviews for that last chapter so I wanted to add an explanation. I originally wanted their secret date to be at an arcade, but then I ran into several fanfics where that same exact scenario occurred so I'd wanted to do something completely different that I'd never seen before. I'm still happy with it and I'm not going to change it, so oh well I guessms.

Next up is the epilogue! I'm so saaaaad! I love writing this story.


	19. Chapter 19

**She's My Collar**

 _By: KKM_

Disclaimer: I do not own the Gorillaz or any related characters/songs. Gorillaz are © Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett.

* * *

 **Last Time:**

" _Yessss, think wit your stomach Laaards. Le' teh carbs guide you." Murdoc snickered only to be flipped off as the bigger man made his exit. Then he turned his mismatched eyes to the couple who'd been silently watching in amusement. "Well? Wha' the fuck're you lot still doin' down here? You heard the man, let's eat!"_

 _"Holy shit," 2D muttered as they watched him exit without so much as a punch. "I can' believe it. I got away with it!"_

 _As Noodle giggled conspiringly with him she suddenly had the realization that they really did have the best friends. In that moment of banter she released they'd finally been accepted. They were finally free._

* * *

 **Epilogue: We Got the Power**

The Sprint Center was completely packed. It was a full house with not a single seat left unsold. 2D's ears were practically ringing the crowd was so loud and abuzz. They were on one of the last few stops of their world tour and had been going strong for months now. It was incredible. With each place there were so many people; so many stories! Never in his wildest dreams had he thought that their little band could inspire so many people. It was unthinkable.

"Wot? You lot wan' more!?" he yelled into the microphone causing a new wave of excited screams. He gave an exhausted laugh that echoed over them. They'd already been going for at least three hours now. They'd played almost everything from their new album and even more hits from their others. It had been thrilling to listen as the fans joined him in every word. He looked back at his band mates with a gap-toothed grin. "Wha' yeh say, one mo'?" he asked them. Russel smiled ruefully and banged his drum hard in answer and Murdoc smirked, letting his abnormally long tongue flop from his sinful lips. "Well, Noodle love… LTES GIVE 'EM WOT THEY WANT!"

The screams were so powerful that his words were nearly drowned out and he swore he felt the stage quake a bit as Noodle joined him at the microphone with a conspiring gleam in her eye. Together their voice cut through the crowd like a knife as their fans roared in approval.

 _"WE GOT THE POWA' TO BE LOVIN' EACH OTHA' NO MATTA' WOT HAPP-UNS!"_

Everyone in the stadium was chanting the lyrics. There wasn't a single person who didn't know the words. It was so empowering. As Noodle began to sing her first verse, 2D swore he'd never heard her sound so confident and commanding. She was truly in her element.

 _"Aaaand we dream of home!_

 _I dream of life outta' here._

 _Their dreams are small,_

 _My dreams don't know fear!_

 _I got my heart full of hope,_

 _I will chaaange everythiiiing!"_

2D watched her sing with admiration. They really had started with just a dream, hadn't they? He remembered back to when they'd first started their relationship and how hopeful they'd been but scared and determined. They'd been so reckless and rebellious at the start. The song almost felt like and ode or an anthem to their strife.

" _We did it before,_

 _And we'll do it again!_

 _We're indestructible,_

 _Even when we're tired!_

 _An' we've been here before,_

 _Just you and I!_

 _Don't try to rescue me,_

 _I don't need to be rescued!"_

He thought back to those uncertain times between when they'd broken up and yet both of them had been determined to keep things together. It had been a rocky start and sure they had bumps as they went along. But the important thing was that they were there for one another and loved each other. As he joined in the chorus it was as if he was declaring his love for her over and over again. They really did have the power! When it was his turn to belt out his lyrics, he got so into it that he missed the amused curve her lips as it was her turn to observe him.

 _"Get yo'self up to the silen' altar,_

 _And call meeee._

 _Bu' don' forget the maaachiiines._

 _Cuz if ya' choice is chippin' it down on the M1,_

 _Then you'll wake up in tha' morinin'_

 _You'll be storming!_

 _Oh-oh-ooooh!"_

He arched his back a bit before leaning in close to Noodle as they shouted the remaining bits of chorus at the audience. The melody began to wind down and 2D added the final caress of his vocals.

 _"We go' the powa'!"_

There was a dramatic pause and then the fans went wild screaming at the top of their lungs. " _ENCORE! ENCORE! ENCORE!"_

"Now, now, loves!" 2D laughed breathlessly as Murdoc and Russel began to slowly exit the stage. "We alrea'y gave you an encore! Bu' seriously, we love you 'Ansas City! Good Nigh'!"

He was about to turn around and leave himself when Noodle suddenly stole his mic and bumped him to the side with her hip. "Ah, ah, aaaah, Stu," she shook her head waving her finger at him. She had a down right mischievous glint in her emerald eyes. He gulped nervously and glanced at the others in confusion. They merely shrugged back and watched from the corner of the stage in mild curiosity. Noodle took that as a sign to continue as she turned back toward the audience with the air of someone who had some juicy gossip to share. "Now, it's come to my attention that there's a _rumor_ going around about a certain song?"

The crowd seemed to gasp in unison as it immediately seemed to get quieter as if they were hanging on her every word.

"She's My Collar!" a girl shouted from the front row and Noodle immediately nodded pointing at her.

"Yes! Exactly!" she agreed before looking out toward the whole complex again. "A little birdie told me that soooome of you think that song is reeeally about me and 2D shackin' it up behind closed doors," she laughed, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively before covering her mouth with her hand as if she'd just said something particularly naughty.

2D turned bright red and started to slowly back away.

"Oh, no you don't!" She grinned, as her hand bolted out grabbing a handful of his shirt and tugging him to her. He nearly tripped over his own two feet before their lips suddenly connected and his mind went numb. He was vaguely aware of their approving screams, but that was all fading away as he closed his eyes and leaned in deepening her kiss. There were whistles and hoots as she let him go just as quickly causing him to sway a little on his feet with a big dopey grin on his face.

"Does that answer your questions?" she challenged before doing a very deliberate mic-drop and strutting off of the stage.

2D blinked for a moment as he watched her prance away, his eyes lingering on her swaying hips before he seemed to suddenly realize where he was. His face flushed bright red again as he looked over the boisterous crowd. "O-oh, um. Bye!" he called, waiving at them all before running off stage to the safety of the others. He could still hear the excited jabbering of the fans all the back stage as he met up with the others.

"Didja' see tha', Russ?" Murdoc was trying very hard not to point and laugh as he slapped the bigger man on the shoulder and nodded his head at them. "We c'n see who wears tha' pants in their relationship. No' that it wos eva' a question teh begin with." He gave a dark chuckle. "Yo' really looked like a blithering idiot ou' there, Tusspot. You're lucky you're pretty," he teased, causing 2D to turn red again.

"Oh, be nice to him," Noodle narrowed her eyes, coming to his rescue and offering him a sweet peck on the cheek. "I think you were marvelous out there," she praised adoringly.

"You sure you know what you're doing, baby-gurl?" Russel asked, scratching his neck. "You thought we had no privacy before, now we _really_ won't. By the time we get to Cali, TMZ is gonna to be so far up our ass-"

"I've go' something they c'n stuck up their arse," Murdoc interrupted, earning himself a smack upside the head and a glare. 2D now looked more amused than embarrassed as he listened to their bantering.

"You know what I mean," Russ grunted, shaking his head and muttering something about crazy moldy cracka's.

"It's okay," Noodle shrugged, leaning against 2D comfortably as she felt his long winding arms circle around her. He rested his chin on her shoulder easily as she continued to speak. "They'd find out anyway. It's better this way because at least we've broken the news on our terms. Who knows what kinds of weird stories they'd spin if they'd found us on one of our secret rendezvous."

"Good point," Murdoc agreed with a sneer. "We see enough of your pasty arses on acciden' at home. No need to ruin meh good tabloids too." She merely rolled her eyes as Russ shuddered next to them. He'd been the one to walk in on them last time. He'd never enjoy their gaming room quite the same ever again. That poor air hockey table…

"Anyways," his deep baritone cut through, trying to ignore the horrifying image that suddenly flashed through his mind. His baby girl wasn't really a baby anymore. "Ya'll comin' with us for the after party over at Power & Light? My homie Tech Nine is stopping by so it should be a good time." The Power & Light District or P&L as the natives called it was a giant strip across the street from the Sprint Center that served as the night life of Downtown Kansas City. It was lined up and down with various bars and clubs and in the very center was a giant dance floor complete with a simi-outdoor stage. This was where people went to get lit! It was always sure to be a good time.

Noodle and 2D gave each other a look before the singer gave his friend an apologetic smile. "Naw, Russ. You go 'ave yeh fun. Noodle an' I will probably be headin' back teh tha' hotel to relax."

"Alright, man. No biggie," Russ said before turning to the bassist. "What about you, ol' man?"

"I'm game," Murdoc said with a smirk, his mismatched eyes twinkling devilishly in the dim lighting. "Tha' birds 'ere are always fun. 'Specially in tha' one bar. Wot was it called, Russ? Oh yes, Angel's Rock Bar," he answered, licking his lips predatorily.

"Gross." Noodle deadpanned, causing them all to laugh. They exchanged a few more pleasantries before they parted ways; Russel and Murdoc heading over toward the now very busy Power & Light District and 2D and Noodle catching a cab to head over to their hotel.

They weren't staying too far away, just further down grand towards Crown Center. Their hotel room was toward the very top of the building and had a beautiful view of the twinkling city. After entering their room and slipping into something more comfortable, the couple headed out to the balcony with a few glasses of wine and sat down to enjoy the peace.

2D relaxed a bit as he inhaled a freshly lit cigarette. His ears were still ringing a bit as he glanced down toward the lit up area he knew Russel and Murdoc were trapezeing in. He silently wondered if they were having a good time out there among the loud crowds.

"We could still go down there if you wanted," Noodle's smooth voice interrupted his musings. He looked over at her with tired eyes and smiled reaching over to cover her hand in his.

"Nah, love," he shook his head, exhaling a small cloud of smoke. He watched in interest as it curled and twisted above them like a tapestry before disappearing in the atmosphere. "This's where I want teh be." He was rewarded when she gave him a warm smile. Then she looked out toward the city again, biting her lip a little.

"Are you really okay with what I did back there? I know you weren't really expecting that," She asked, repositioning their hands so that their fingers were locked together. He gave her a soft squeeze and she turned her head to look back at him again. Her eyes were twinkling from the city lights and her unruly bangs were blowing into her face a little.

"I'm no' mad," he promised her, a small smile tugging at his lips as he marveled at how cute she looked right then. He stubbed his cigarette out and tossed it over the edge of the rail before reaching his now free hand over to brush her bangs from her face before resting his warm palm against her cheek lovingly. "They'll need teh get used to it cuz I'm no' lettin' you go."

In that moment they didn't even need to utter the words. They could _feel_ the love radiating from one another and like magnets they both leaned forward simultaneously with their eyes closed. Their lips touched as they connected breathlessly and relished in the feeling of one another's sweet caress. 2D tugged at her smaller form until she was draped across his lap and sighed as he held her close as they overlooked the city together. He really couldn't imagine anywhere else he'd rather be.

So, maybe she had him wrapped around her finger a bit.

But he liked to think he secretly had her collar too.

* * *

 **A/N:** AHHHHHHH. I can't believe it's over! Do you know how long it has been since I've finished a story with chapters? I've also never written one as long as this! Murr I wish it could continue, but alas this is the perfect place to let them be free.

Thank you so much everyone for your encouraging words and reviews. I have truly enjoyed writing this story for you. It is my hope to now start writing one of my actual personal stories. I think this fanfiction has given me the courage to do so. I will still probably do a few short stories here and there but I have my book planned out so now I need to write it.

I embellished a bit with this epilogue and ended the story in my hometown. I thought it was pretty fitting since I'm super excited for September to come. The Humanz world tour is going to be awesome!

Love you all! Please tell me what you think!

P.S. Even though I'm marking this story as finished, you may still receive some update notifications. Sometime this week I'm going to go back and look for grammatical errors and fix them. I wrote most of these chapters in the wee hours of the morning so I'm sure there's plenty of junk for me to fix. Sorry in advance lol.


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